She wanted to invest in land in Albania; Chinese woman disappears in Greece and her passport is found shredded

The investigation into the disappearance of 50-year-old Chinese national Yu Ting, who went missing four months ago in Artemida, has taken another disturbing turn.

The woman’s passport was found in Attiko Alsos, cut into 22 strips. Exposed to the sun, it was discovered last Sunday, raising suspicions that it may have been there for several weeks.

Her husband said the passport had been found by people walking their dog in the wooded area, who then alerted the authorities. “Why would someone cut it up and throw it there instead of burning it completely?” he said, questioning the way the document had been destroyed.

The main question for investigators remains who destroyed Yu Ting’s passport and why they chose to cut it into strips and abandon it in that location.

The 50-year-old’s mobile phone had previously been found in Amerika Square, around 2.5 kilometers from where the passport was discovered.

According to her husband, the phone’s location corresponded more closely with the route she had planned to take that day, as she was supposed to attend a meeting in the area. He stressed that this fact may have helped throw the investigation off course.

The husband’s lawyer, Anastasios Dougas, pointed out that the municipality had mowed the dry grass in the area before August 15. For this reason, determining when the passport was discarded is considered important to the investigation.

The samples found are expected to be analyzed in forensic laboratories to determine whether they contain traces of DNA. Meanwhile, the husband has raised suspicions that the document may have been cut with a specialized machine, which he believes could indicate professional involvement.

Other pieces of paper and double-sided adhesive tape, also cut into strips, were discovered in Attiko Alsos near the place where the passport was found. At the end of August, the authorities again questioned Yu Ting’s mother-in-law, focusing in particular on a business trip she had taken to Albania together with her daughter-in-law.

Yu Ting remains missing, while the discovery of her phone and passport has renewed hopes that investigators may obtain new information about her fate.

Yu Ting’s disappearance

Fifty-year-old Chinese national Yu Ting has been missing in Greece since May 20. Her name has been linked to suspicious meetings and transactions in Albania and Greece, while Greek police are examining several leads with possible criminal connections.

On the day she disappeared, she left her home in Artemida at 10:05 a.m., heading for central Athens. Relatives have said that she intended to collect rent from apartments owned by wealthy Chinese nationals. Her trail went cold after she got off the bus.

Her Greek husband, Vasilis Karavasilis, told the media that Yu Ting may have been kidnapped or killed. He clarified that, so far, there is no evidence to establish with certainty what happened to her.

“I cannot say whether she is alive or not. We have no indication supporting either version. Information is lacking, and it is impossible that she left of her own free will. We had no problems,” Karavasilis said.

The investigation

On 17.01.2026, the 50-year-old was issued a one-year residence permit by the Vlora Local Directorate of Border and Migration, because of her interest in investing in Albania. According to testimony, she obtained the permit because of her interest in the water resources in Bogovë.

An Albanian real estate agent told the “MEGA” television station that a Chinese client was looking for a site on which to build a plant for bottling water. “That was the matter they were working on: building a plant for water bottles. It involved a spring on a mountain in Albania. The water was very good, but the project did not move forward. She went there twice,” the agent said.

The connection with Albania was also mentioned by another witness quoted by the Greek media. He spoke about a meeting held four days before the disappearance, attended by Yu Ting, a real estate agent, a Chinese national, a priest and a retired police officer.

The priest said that the Chinese man who attended the meeting did not appear again afterward. “We met, had coffee and talked for about 20 minutes, less than half an hour, before we left. It was an introductory meeting. I did not notice anything unusual or any fear in her. The woman seemed fine. I saw Yu Ting only twice: once at the church, where the real estate agent brought her, and the other time at the café. She spoke Greek well. The last time I saw her, I believe, was on Friday, May 16,” he said.

The meeting was related to property. According to the priest, the agent of Albanian origin had introduced Yu Ting as a woman seeking properties on behalf of wealthy Chinese clients. “B. is from Albania and her husband is Greek. I have known her for years. One day she came to the church to arrange a baptism, and we started talking about real estate. She told me: ‘I will bring you a Chinese woman who represents many companies and many wealthy people looking for all kinds of properties—land, houses, everything for investment.’ I told her that I knew serious people with hotels and real estate. That is how she put me in touch with Ting, who, as I understand it, had already had a relationship with that woman for some time,” he added.

The Greek media contacted the Albanian agent, who confirmed that she had been working with Yu Ting since 2022. She said they had presented Chinese investors with more than 20 properties, but no deal had been finalized.

Yu Ting’s sister told the Greek media that the 50-year-old had obtained a one-year residence permit for Albania. She said that during a conversation on April 29, her sister had told her that she wanted to go to Albania and would show her some plots of land there.

Another line of investigation concerns a business matter involving the purchase of a gas station in central Athens. One of the two Chinese women involved in the transaction claims that Yu Ting and her partner deceived her.

“Yu Ting and my partner deceived me,” she said.

According to her testimony, they had asked her to cooperate in purchasing the gas station. For this purpose, she had invested 100,000 euros, borrowed from relatives and friends. Later, they told her that she was not suitable as a partner, and the deal did not go through.