Crime Solvers Central
Crime Solvers Central
302 Cases Solved. Advancing justice for missing persons, unsolved homicides, unidentified and unclaimed remains.

Case Description

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Summary based on the NamUs case record (MP9975) and 6 other sources
On a summer day, August 1, 1998, a 44-year-old woman named Li Yan was seen in her Manhattan, New York community, and then seemingly vanished. It was around noon when Li was last spotted in the area of 20 Confucius Plaza. She was an Asian female with black hair and brown eyes. Standing at five feet, three inches tall, she had a noticeably slender build, weighing between 90 and 110 pounds, and was described as having a light complexion. The circumstances of what she was doing that day, where she might have been going, and what she was wearing remain unknown, leaving a void of information in the timeline of her disappearance.

The hours and days following Li Yan's last sighting are shrouded in mystery as no one has reported seeing or hearing from her since. The lack of details surrounding her disappearance has left investigators with very few leads to follow. It is unclear what transpired after she was seen near Confucius Plaza. There is no information available to the public regarding her personal life, her state of mind at the time, or any potential reasons that might explain her sudden absence. Her case is categorized simply as 'missing,' with the circumstances noted as unclear. The New York City Police Department's Missing Persons Squad took on the investigation, but the years have passed without any significant breakthroughs.

Decades have now gone by since Li Yan was last seen, and her case remains cold and unsolved. The official investigation, managed by the New York City Police Department, has not yielded any public answers, and the trail has long gone cold. With no witnesses to her disappearance and no evidence left behind, the narrative of what happened to Li Yan abruptly ends at midday on that August afternoon. Her case is a quiet but persistent mystery, a story without a conclusion, leaving her loved ones and the community to wonder what became of the woman who disappeared without a trace from the heart of New York City.

Last Seen: Aug 1, 1998

Possible Unidentified Matches (6)

Unidentified remains cases whose details are consistent with this person, ranked by how closely they compare. Fields that are unknown in either case are left out of the score.

82%Moderate
Jane Doe — Queens, New York - unidentified case UP2692
Jane Doe — Queens, New York
UP2692 • Found Mar 26, 2005
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 85%Est. 30–50 vs 44 when missing
Race 100%Asian
Location 100%10 mi away, same state
TimingFound 7 years after last seen
Height 100%5'3" vs 5'3"
Weight 62%138 lb vs 90–110 lb
Hair 100%Black vs Black
Eyes 100%Brown vs Brown
81%Moderate
Jane Doe — New York, New York - unidentified case UP4885
Jane Doe — New York, New York
UP4885 • Found May 10, 2006
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 100%Est. 45–55 vs 44 when missing
Race 100%Asian
Location 100%5 mi away, same state
TimingFound 8 years after last seen
Height 52%4'11" vs 5'3"
Weight 100%105 lb vs 90–110 lb
Hair 100%Black vs Black
Eyes 100%Brown vs Brown
76%Possible
Jane Doe — Elmhurst, New York - unidentified case UP105655
Jane Doe — Elmhurst, New York
UP105655 • Found Mar 13, 2016
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 100%Est. 50–60 vs 44 when missing
Race 100%Asian
Location 100%6 mi away, same state
TimingFound 18 years after last seen
Height 20%4'9" vs 5'3"
Weight 100%114 lb vs 90–110 lb
Hair 100%Black vs Black
Eyes 100%Brown vs Brown
76%Possible
Jane Doe — New York, New York - unidentified case UP5568
Jane Doe — New York, New York
UP5568 • Found Dec 17, 2007
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 100%Est. 35–45 vs 44 when missing
Location 100%5 mi away, same state
TimingFound 9 years after last seen
Height 68%5'0" vs 5'3"
Weight 100%106 lb vs 90–110 lb
Hair 100%Black vs Black
Eyes 100%Brown vs Brown
76%Possible
Jane Doe — New York, New York - unidentified case UP5782
Jane Doe — New York, New York
UP5782 • Found Jul 4, 2002
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 59%Est. 55–65 vs 44 when missing
Race 100%Asian
Location 100%1 mi away, same state
TimingFound 4 years after last seen
Height 100%5'3" vs 5'3"
Weight 48%143 lb vs 90–110 lb
Hair 40%Gray vs Black
Eyes 100%Brown vs Brown
75%Possible
Jane Doe — Brooklyn, New York - unidentified case UP71172
Jane Doe — Brooklyn, New York
UP71172 • Found May 10, 2020
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 60%Est. 45–75 vs 44 when missing
Race 100%Asian
Location 100%9 mi away, same county
TimingFound 22 years after last seen
Height 100%5'3" vs 5'3"
Weight 48%143 lb vs 90–110 lb
Hair 100%Black vs Black
Eyes 100%Brown vs Brown

These comparisons are generated automatically from public NamUs case data and are not confirmed identifications. Only DNA, dental or fingerprint comparison by investigators can confirm an identity. If you believe two cases are connected, contact the agency handling the unidentified case.

Unidentified photos are blurred because many are post-mortem. Tap a photo to reveal it.