Unsolved 2008 Murder: 30 Nails Fired Into Man's Skull, Body Dumped in River
In a particularly brutal and vicious unsolved murder from 2008, a 27-year-old man was killed after a horrifying total of 30 nails were driven into his skull using a high-powered nail gun. The victim, Chen Liu, also known as Anthony, was found wrapped in a rug and bound with electrical wires in the Georges River in south Sydney.
Grim Discovery by Children on Canoeing Trip
The case took a grim turn when two children, aged nine and 14, made a shocking discovery while canoeing through the mangroves on the evening of November 1, 2008. Paddling down the river, they spotted a badly decomposed body wrapped in a domestic rug and rushed to alert their parents for help.
Police later confirmed that Chen had been dead for approximately 12 days when found. His corpse had been rolled in the rug with the ends enclosed using tightly tied wires and an extension cord, with efforts possibly made to weigh it down in the water.
Police Release Shocking X-Ray in Hunt for Killer
In a bid to solve the case, police released a shocking x-ray of Chen's skull, showing the extent of the injuries. Investigators revealed that 34 nails, up to 3.3 inches (85mm) long, had been fired at very close range into the victim's head and neck area from a nail gun.
Geoff Beresford, head of the homicide squad at the time, stated, "In 36 years of investigation, I've never come across a murder of this nature using a nail gun. May I say it's a particularly brutal and vicious murder and we are seeking information from the public so we can bring this inquiry to a conclusion."
Investigation Details and Victim Background
Police believe Chen was killed and then driven to the river in his blue 2005 Range Rover Sport 4WD, though the vehicle has never been found and no arrests have been made. The murder weapon also remains undiscovered.
Two weeks before the children found the body, a male friend had reported Chen missing. Investigators looked into his associates but found no evidence linking the crime to any criminal group.
Chen had arrived in Melbourne on a student visa from China in early 2000 and later moved to Sydney, where he married briefly before separating. The case has drawn speculation online, with one Reddit user suggesting the killer might have worked in construction, acting in haste and rage with an accessible tool.
The user commented, "The materials the body is wrapped in could also be construction or contractor materials that were available to him. There seems to be little info or leads about this case."
Despite the passage of time, police continue to appeal for public information to solve this horrific crime, which stands out for its brutality and unusual method.
