Man with Down's syndrome was kidnapped and murdered in a gruesome body swap scheme in China 


Man with Down’s syndrome was kidnapped and murdered to take the place of a rich stranger in a gruesome body swap scheme to get round ban on traditional burials in China

  • The unnamed victim was reported missing in 2017 but the case only gained nationwide attention last week following an interview with his relatives
  • The perpetrator, identified only as Huang, was handed a suspended death sentence last year
  • He was hired and paid by a family who wanted to get around a ban on burials by having a substitute body cremated in place of their deceased relative  
  • Burials are banned in some parts of China to save land and discourage elaborate ceremonies 

A man with Down’s syndrome was kidnapped and murdered to take the place of a rich stranger in a gruesome body swapping scheme in China. 

The perpetrator, identified only by his surname Huang, was handed a suspended death sentence by the Guangdong Higher People’s Court over the 2017 crime.

Huang was hired by a family to provide a substitute body for cremation in place of their deceased loved one, court records show, but instead of finding another dead body, he killed a man.  

Traditional burials are favoured in China but bans are in place in many parts of the country and cremations are mandatory in Guangdong province, where the family live.  

Huang kidnapped and killed the man with Down’s syndrome but the death went largely unnoticed until an article on the incident appeared online last week, the BBC reported. 

Huang spotted the unnamed man picking up litter from the street, asked him to get into a car and plied him with alcohol until he passed out.

Traditional burials are favoured in China but bans are in place in many parts of the country. Pictured: An aerial view of a cemetery in China [Stock photo]

Traditional burials are favoured in China but bans are in place in many parts of the country. Pictured: An aerial view of a cemetery in China [Stock photo]

It is not clear exactly how the man died but his body was placed in a coffin and passed onto the family days later.

They paid 107,000 yuan (£11,900) to Huang and a middle man who has since passed away, once the coffin was delivered.

The family then had the coffin cremated in place of their deceased relative, who later received a traditional burial in secret.

Body swapping is not unheard of in China, according to the BBC, which said it occurs mainly in rural areas where traditional burial rites are highly valued. Pictured: Jiangxi cemetery garden in China [Stock image]

Body swapping is not unheard of in China, according to the BBC, which said it occurs mainly in rural areas where traditional burial rites are highly valued. Pictured: Jiangxi cemetery garden in China [Stock image]

The victim was reported missing in 2017 and, after more than two years, police uncovered the crime and tracked down Huang.

In September 2020, he was given a suspended death sentence. His subsequent appeal was dismissed by the Guangdong Higher People’s Court three months later.

The sentence will be commuted to life in prison if Huang does not reoffend after two years.

The BBC reported that the family who hired Huang were found guilty of ‘insulting a corpse’. They did not receive a prison sentence but it was unclear whether they had to pay a fine.

The family reportedly did not know that the substitute body was a murder victim, assuming Huang would find another corpse.  

The bizarre events gained national prominence last week following an interview with the victim’s family by a news outlet, the BBC said.

Chinese authorities have encouraged people to cremate their dead in order to save space and discourage elaborate burial ceremonies. Cremated remains are usually kept in columbarium walls. Pictured: A columbarium wall in Hong Kong [Stock image]

Chinese authorities have encouraged people to cremate their dead in order to save space and discourage elaborate burial ceremonies. Cremated remains are usually kept in columbarium walls. Pictured: A columbarium wall in Hong Kong [Stock image]

Chinese authorities have for decades encouraged people not to bury their dead, with some regions imposing bans on the practice, in a bid to save land and discourage extravagant burial ceremonies.

People spend vast amounts on funerals and coffins, which is seen as a way of showing filial piety towards their ancestors – an important virtue in many East Asian cultures.   

Body swapping is not unheard of in China, according to the BBC, which said it occurs mainly in rural areas where traditional burial rites are highly valued. 

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