Ghosts or Reality?

Was a 14 year old girl really a murder suspect, or was she just terrified of unforseen forces? Even more puzzling, what exactly does Hello Kitty have to do with a crime scene?

All of these bizarre questions were raised by investigators in the Hello Kitty murder case of Hong Kong, China.

Before I begin to dissect the bulk of this case, it is important to note that there is a photo of Fan Man-yee and not of her assailants. The image on the right is evidence from the crime scene, and blurred slightly to not be extremely graphic. Her story is horrendous, heartbreaking, and an act of profound violence targeted against her. When I first read about this murder, it made me feel incredible sadness for the loss of life and brutality Fan Man-yee experienced. Many women face dangerous situations all over the world similar to hers, and it is an issue that demands change.

They are not to blame for the violence against them, and cases like these should be used to educate the public. While I could assess the how and why, my main goal for reiterating this true crime story is to bring awareness about how women are poorly treated in sex work positions.

Finding commonalities between Hello Kitty and a murder case are extremely unsettling, but this is exactly what law enforcement stumbled upon in 1999.

***Content/Trigger Warning: brief descriptions of violence against women***

Seeing Ghosts

Ah Fong, a 14 year old teenager living in the Granville Road apartment complexes, had approached Chinese police extremely paranoid. She had informed the officers that she was being haunted by a woman, and that she had supernatural episodes about Fan's demise. While the police originally thought she had an extensive imagination, their doubts quickly changed after diving deeper into her supposed stories.

Once the girl began revealing more information, the invisible hauntings she was scared of turned into an admittance of murder. Ah Fong told the police that she was part of a collective gruesome act against a woman in her apartment. Hearing this turn of events prompted police to look into these claims.

Upon arrival at the Granville Road apartment where the girl lived, they could see that she resided with other men who were much older. Ah Fong ran away from home after fighting with her parents, and ended up at there in a relationship with a 34-year old member of the triad.

The Crime

Fan Man-yee was the woman who ended up at Ah Fong's apartment complex in March of 1999. She had a fairly long history, becoming independent at an early age after being raised in an orphanage. Once she separated from her husband and had a son, she partook in prostitution to earn extra income.

One of her clients, Chan Man-lok, was a wealthy gang leader who visited often. Thinking she would be able to obtain more money from him, she ended up searching his wallet one night on the job. Chan grew angry at this, and told her she needed to pay back the money she stole with added interest. Since Fan Man-yee didn't have the money on hand, his accomplices kidnapped her to make her earn the money back.

Now being forced to earn approximately $16,000, members of the apartment unit (Chan Man-Iok, Leung Shing-cho, and Leung Wai-Lun) began to inflict tremendous damage on Fan Man-yee. Day after day, she experienced many forms of unspeakable torture, acts of rape, and beatings that left her unable to leave. She was forced to eat waste, and was blistered from the mens' torturous games. This violence grew so extreme that she was left in an unrecognizable state, becoming accustomed to the abuse she received for a month straight. Alongside the men, Ah Fong regularly joined her boyfriend in committing these crimes against her. All of which, continued until Fan Man-yee eventually passed away from these injuries.

Her remains were disposed of in the most grotesque manner, with some of her bones being placed inside a Hello Kitty doll. Police that found her body were appauled by this case, and it was listed as one of the most absurd incidents occuring in Hong Kong's court to date. All of the men were arrested, but none of them accepted the blame for her murder nor were they charged for those crimes specifically. Scarily enough, they will be eligible for parole in 2o21.

Yet, I am still confused and enraged by this news.

What will happen to her murderers?

How can violence like this be spotted or prevented?

The only sound form of closure for this case happened in 2012, when the entire Granville apartment complexes were completely torn down. Fan Man-yee didn't receive the justice she deserved, but I am hoping that more of my own questions against this case will be answered in the future.