Former Alibaba executive Li Chen found dead in a car in California has sparked various speculations and concerns. According to the information from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, Li Chen’s date of death was August 28, seven days after the police issued a missing person notice on August 21. While the body has been released for transfer, the specific cause of death remains unconfirmed.
Li Chen resided in Arcadia, California. As early as August 21 around 5 p.m., the Arcadia Police Department issued a missing person notice requesting public assistance in locating the high-risk missing person Li Chen.
The police notice described Li Chen as 42 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall (approximately 1.75 meters), weighing about 138 pounds (approximately 63 kilograms), with black eyes and short gray hair. His last known appearance was on the 21st, dressed in a black jacket, black long-sleeve polo shirt, black running shoes, possibly driving a white 2024 Honda CR-V. The notice included a photo of Li Chen.
Information provided by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday, September 9 confirmed that Li Chen was 43 years old, found dead inside a vehicle, without explicitly stating whether he was driving the white SUV. The time of death was reported as August 28, and the body can be claimed by eligible family members, funeral homes, or authorized entities, but this does not signify the completion of the autopsy process.
The case is currently under further investigation, with the Coroner’s Office yet to update on the cause and specific circumstances of death.
One of the reasons this case has drawn significant attention is Li Chen’s background, reportedly a former high-ranking executive at Alibaba Group in China. Several mainland and Hong Kong media reports have varied, some stating Li Chen was a former Alibaba senior executive, while others indicated he was indeed an Alibaba employee but not at an executive level.
Alibaba, founded by Jack Ma, is a Chinese-origin global tech conglomerate that has long dominated the e-commerce landscape in China.
Certain mainland marketing articles have labeled Li Chen’s cause of death as “accidental.” However, the police and coroner’s office have explicitly stated that the cause of death is still under investigation and remains unconfirmed at the time of this report.
Additionally, it was discovered during Wednesday’s inquiries that some mainland websites have since deleted their articles on the matter. Given Li Chen’s unique background and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his disappearance, the public interest in this case continues.