Elderly man searching for missing wife dies in scooter accident in southern Taiwan

在南台灣尋找失踪妻子的老人在摩托車事故中喪生

A body presumed to be his missing wife was discovered Saturday in Kaohsiung


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – On Saturday (Oct. 15), the body of a woman was found floating in the Dianbao River (典寶溪) in Kaohsiung. It is presumed to be a 67 year-old woman, surnamed Chen (陳), who went missing earlier in October.

Tragically, Chen’s husband, a 65-year-old man surnamed Ceng (曾), died several days after he first reported her missing on Oct. 3. He was reportedly driving a scooter looking for his missing wife, when he crashed into fencing and fell 1.5 meters off of the roadway, severely injuring his head.

Chen first went missing on the night of Oct. 2, but she was only reported to the police by her husband the following morning, on Oct. 3. Ceng was distraught because she left late at night without her cellphone and had not returned.

According to Ceng, his wife was not suffering from any depression or illness, and had not exhibited any unusual behavior in the days before her disappearance, reports CNA.

After failing to find his wife, Ceng’s worries only grew over the following days. On Oct. 8 at 1:55 p.m., he was driving his scooter around Yanchao District (燕巢區) searching for her when the accident occurred. Ceng was rushed to E-Da Hospital nearby for emergency treatment, but could not be saved.

CNA reports that the cause of Ceng’s accident is still under investigation; however, police said that he was not suspected of drinking and driving.

On Saturday, a civilian search and rescue team used a drone to search along the Dianbao River and found the body, which seemed to match the description of Chen given by her husband. Relatives were contacted to help identify the body, but the state of decomposition and bloating made her unrecognizable. Authorities are awaiting the results of a DNA test for confirmation.

In a statement to the press, the Kaohsiung Police urged people to look after their elderly relatives, and take precautions if the elderly start to exhibit signs of dementia. The city also offers bracelets that can be worn to help find those who may be at risk of getting lost, per CNA.

Likewise, those considering suicide should immediately call the Taiwan Suicide Prevention Center at 1925 or Taiwan Lifeline International at 1995. Foreign residents can call the Community Services Center's emergency hotline at 0932-594-578, 24 hours a day.