Yuk-Ying Anita Mui was first reported missing by her family on Aug. 9. Three days later on Aug. 12, OPP located burned human remains, which have since been confirmed to be those of Mui, police said. The OPP said officers made the discovery after they responded to a report of human remains found at a property on Avro Arrow Road.
Three teen suspects, two from Toronto and one from Whitby, were charged in Mui’s disappearance after it was found they were in possession of property belonging to the Markham real estate agent. One of them is facing weapons charges, while all three are facing charges of fraud under $5,000. However, no charges related to Mui’s death have been laid at this time.
Investigators have identified a vehicle of interest in connection with Mui’s death. They said a white, 2019 Mercedes-Benz sprinter van is believed to have transported the 56-year-old from a property on Vandorf Sideroad in Stouffville to Avro Arrow Road.
Det. Sgt. Dave Gill said police believe Mui was at the property for a real estate transaction. It’s unclear how she arrived at the property, as her vehicle, a 2024 Mercedez Benz GLE450 SUV, was located in the area of Finch Avenue East and Warden Avenue, in Scarborough.
The Investigation Continues
Her cause of death has not yet been released by police.
Mui’s family last saw her at 9:30 a.m. on the day she disappeared, according to police. She left her home near Baycliffe Road and Warden Avenue and spoke to her family again at 11 a.m., but wasn’t heard from again.
Gill said investigators believe the suspects charged in connection with Mui’s disappearance used her credit cards after her disappearance, which resulted in the various fraud charges laid against them.
Two of those suspects have since been released, but one remains in custody.
“All three young offenders are persons of interest in this homicide investigation, but their exact involvement as to what they did or what they had to do with this investigation and with the disappearance of Ms. Mui is being investigated,” he said.
Gill said that police do not have outstanding arrest warrants for any additional suspects in connection with Mui’s murder.
He added that there is “no evidence” to suggest that Mui’s death is linked to the disappearance of Ying Zhang, a 57-year-old Markham woman who went missing last months and whose remains were later found in a garbage bin in Kawartha Lakes.
What Police Are Looking For
Police are asking anyone who may have seen the Sprinter van in the Stouffville or Parry Sound area between Aug. 9 and 12 to contact them.
A Reminder of the Van
Police have released an image of a vehicle of interest that they believe Mui was transported in. This vehicle is described as a white 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter cargo van.
The investigation is ongoing, and police are asking anyone with information to contact them. The public is urged to contact the Homicide Unit at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7865.
The Property on Vandorf Sideroad
York police previously searched the large rural property on Vandorf Sideroad and brought in search dogs, air support and members of its forensics team to help comb the area of the residence where Mui was scheduled to attend on the day she went missing.
Police believe she was at the property for a real estate transaction and she is presumed to have disappeared from that property, but why she was targeted is part of the ongoing investigation.
“We’re looking at all different investigative avenues, but we don’t have any information to believe that she was targeted because of her political views,” said York Regional Police’s Det. Sgt. Dave Gill when asked about Mui’s active association with the Chinese-Canadian community.
Police don’t believe Mui’s disappearance is linked to the abduction of Ying Zhang, another missing Markham woman whose remains were located about a week before Mui went missing.
“There’s no evidence to suggest those two cases are linked,” Gill said.
Mui’s cause of death has not yet been confirmed pending a report from the coroner’s office.
A Life Lost, a Legacy Remembered
Reached by the Star on Thursday, a family member declined to comment, saying her sons are grieving as they just received the news a day ago.
Mui was a high-profile real estate broker in the Toronto area – her listings included luxury homes in Markham and North Toronto, commercial units in plazas and malls and large-scale industrial properties listed for nearly $17 million.
She was also known as a mover and shaker in the Chinese-Canadian business community. She had been pictured at numerous fundraisers and galas over the years, at times standing shoulder to shoulder with MPs, Ontario ministers and mayors. She was identified in social media posts as president of the Toronto Paragon Lions Club in 2017.
On her Instagram page, she posted that she had been recognized as one of the top 10 Century 21 realtors in Canada and in the top one per cent at her firm, Century 21 Atria.
Sunny Song, Mui’s colleague at Century 21 Atria, said on Thursday she was in complete shock when Mui went missing weeks ago.
The day before, she said the pair had attended a real estate event celebrating the top agents in Canada - Mui being among them. Now, as Song grapples with the news about her death, she is remembering her as a passionate and dedicated colleague.
“She’s very nice and a very successful agent.”
This tragic event has shaken the community and left many in mourning. As the investigation unfolds, the hope is that justice will be served, and the perpetrators will be held accountable for their actions. The memory of Yuk-Ying Anita Mui, a successful real estate agent and a respected member of the community, will continue to live on in the hearts of those who knew her.
