Father believes Cangshan victim is 'suicidal' son

• Source: Global Times
• [15:09 August 18 2010]
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By Liu Dong

A Shanghai father believes that his son may have planned his death at Cangshan scenic spot in Yunnan Province last Saturday, after making the trip to southern China to confirm the identity of a body found some 100 meters below a cliff at the popular mountain area.

The body, which is 90 percent confirmed to be Shen Chao, 24, who interned at Shanghai Lezhi Network Technology Company in Pudong New Area, was found by a Canghan scenic spot staffer, who noticed an unclaimed bag at the mountain last week.

According to Li Yanzhou, director of the Cangshan police station, authorities are still working to verify his identity.

"The father thinks that it's his son, but because the body suffered serious injuries, the physical characteristics of the victim are somewhat unrecognizable, so it was hard for him to be sure it was Shen," Li, who called the father out to assist in the investigation, told the Global Times Tuesday.

He added that authorities have collected DNA samples from the body, results for which are expected to be conclusive within the next day or two.

Li said that Shen's father recalls his son searching for "suicide methods" online before he left for his trip, but never actually thought his son was serious.

Meanwhile, a manager surnamed Wang, who preferred not to disclose his full name, from the Shanghai Lezhi Network Technology Company, said that he and Shen had talked about the possibility of Shen staying on after his internship on August 4, just over a week before the incident.

"His behavior had been peculiar for some time," he told the Global Times Tuesday. "We caught him searching 'suicide' on his computer, and even though we didn't think it was a real issue, we told his father."

Zhang Dingkun, director of Cangshan Scenic Site Protection Bureau, said that the location of the incident is known as a traditional spot for suicide according to local folklore.

"The place is known as a scenic spot that was once upon a time used as a jumping point for lovers who wanted to die together," he told the Global Times Tuesday.

Zhang added that authorities are planning to add more guideposts along main paths and have staff patrol the routes more frequently.