A cyberspace murder witness?

Associated Press
Posted: April 20, 2011

TORONTO - Canadian police said yesterday that they still don't know what caused the death of a student from Beijing who was last seen alive on a webcam by a friend who witnessed her struggling with a man before the camera was abruptly shut off.

Police said the body of 23-year-old York University student Qian Liu was found Friday in her apartment in Toronto a few hours after her friend in China witnessed the attack. She was naked from the waist down, but there were no obvious signs of sexual assault or trauma that would have led to her death, police said.

An autopsy failed to show the cause of death, and it could be weeks before the results of toxicology tests are known, Police Sgt. Frank Skubic said. He said the death has yet to be classified officially as a homicide, though police were investigating it as such.

Liu was chatting with her friend by webcam about 1 a.m. Friday when an unknown man knocked on the door, police said.

The friend reported seeing a struggle break out between the two before Liu's webcam was shut off. The friend contacted other friends in Toronto who in turn called police.

"We have spoken to this online witness by telephone," Skubic said.

Liu's laptop computer, webcam and mobile phone are missing, Skubic said.

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