A handout photo of Guang Hua Liu released by Peel Regional Police is shown at a press conference in Mississauga, …Peel Regional Police have announced that 40-year-old Chunqi Jiang has been arrested in the slaying death of Guang Hua Liu.
"Mr. Jiang is a construction labourer and the recently estranged boyfriend of the victim," said Insp. George Koekkoek.
"This investigation is ongoing and is far from over," Koekkoek told a news conference at police headquarters in Mississauga.
He was arrested yesterday and appeared in a Brampton, Ontario courtroom this morning where he was remanded in custody until his next court appearance on Sept. 10.
Police said the man is a Canadian citizen of Chinese descent who arrived in Canada in 2002. He and Liu had a four-year relationship, according to police.
Liu, 41, was reported missing from her home in the city's east end on Aug. 11.
Last week Peel police confirmed it was her remains that had been recovered from a river in Mississauga and a creek in Toronto.
A severed head, a foot, two hands and other body parts were found in the Credit River and Highland Creek.
Forensic tests determined all the remains belonged to Liu, but police still do not know how she died. Investigators have said they do not believe there are other victims.
Liu, a Canadian citizen of Chinese descent, was a single mother of three. She lived in Scarborough, in the city's east end and had been operating a spa in a Scarborough mall. The spa is no longer in business.
She lived with her adult son, while her two younger children lived with their father. Reports suggest that Ms. Liu was planning on shutting down her business and moving back to China with her estranged husband. Acquaintances have told reporters she had a Caucasian boyfriend in Toronto named Ken. Neighbours had noticed little business going on at her store and some had complained to the city thinking it may have been a front for illegal activities. Licensing and zoning inspectors had visited the business and found no violations.
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Friends said Liu was planning to sell the spa after only a few months in business and, the evening she went missing, was scheduled to meet a prospective buyer.
(With files from The Canadian Press and CBC)