Killer Who Wiped Out Family Of 4 Found After 7 Day Hunt

Story ByJohn FengSub EditorJoseph GolderAgencyAsia Wire Report

Video Credit: AsiaWire

This is the moment a man suspected of killing his neighbour before wiping out a family of four – including two kids – is found dead after a seven day manhunt.

The suspect, Zhang Juqian, 56, was finally found dead after he allegedly killed his neighbour on his birthday and then settled a long-standing grudge with another family by murdering all four members – including two children aged five and seven.

The week-long manhunt for the murder suspect accused of killing five people in five days – including four in the same night – finally ended when investigators found his body in a hut in a suspected suicide.

Pictures Credit: AsiaWire

The killings in the county Dongkou County in Central China’s Hunan Province shocked public security officials who announced the large-scale manhunt as well as a 100,000-RMB (11,418-GBP) reward for information regarding his whereabouts.

According to the authorities, on 21st May – the day of his 56th birthday – Zhang killed his neighbour during an argument and then went on the run.

He tracked down the second family, surnamed Liu, on 25th May and allegedly murdered the two children as well as their grandparents in the same night over a previous dispute.

Video Credit: AsiaWire

Investigators had announced a search effort involving hundreds of armed police and members of the military for the suspect, who they said was a “village tyrant” known for extortion.

Images showed authorities manoeuvring through heavily wooded areas in what they called a “blanket search”.

However, they have announced today (28th May) that Zhang’s lifeless body had been located in a hut in the Hunan village of Tongpen.

The police said they believe he died by suicide after ingesting poison.

Zhang, who had four arrests in the past for offences including theft and hooliganism, was last released on New Year’s Eve in 2016.

Further investigations are still ongoing.