Shen Cai was named as a homicide victim whose death authorities are investigating in Lexington, Massachusetts, according to a news conference held by the local police chief and district attorney.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Chief of Police Mark Corr led the press conference on May 31, 2019. Cai, 49, was found inside a vehicle, a white Honda CRV, on Worthen Road. You can read the DA’s press release here:
#Lexington PD in the early stages of a homicide investigation @boston25 49yo Shen Cai found dead inside a vehicle early Thursday morning
Here’s what you need to know:
Shen Cai’s Friends Found Her Inside a Car After Conducting a Search for Her
@DAMarianRyan says 49-year-old Shen Cai was found dead inside a car on Worthen Rd, near Waltham street early Thursday morning. Her friends report Cai told them she had concerns about her own safety. Authorities would not say if her husband is a suspect. @NBC10Boston
According to Ryan, the victim’s friends “had been searching for her and located her inside that car. She was pronounced dead on the scene. The investigators initially observed some suspicious trauma.
They conducted an autopsy. She sustained multiple blunt trauma.”
Ryan added that Cai was last been seen by her husband and friends on May 28, 2019. On May 29, her friends became concerned because she missed at least two scheduled appointments, and she had previously reported to her friends that she had concerns about her safety.
The District Attorney did not detail what those concerns were. She did say that Cai’s friends searched for her for several hours and explained, “This does not appear to be a random act, and we have no continuing concerns about other members of the community.” Ryan did not explain what leads authorities to believe the slaying is not random.
She said the vehicle was registered to Shen Cai’s family and that there were no prior reports of violent episodes. “She has a daughter and her husband also has a son,” said the DA, who added that Cai was found in the front seat of the car.
She stressed that it was “very early in the investigation.” Authorities have not announced any suspects or motives in Shen Cai’s death.
Boston Herald reporter Mary Markos reported that Cai’s death is the first homicide in Lexington since 1994.