Body of Kidnaped Restaurant Owner Found

A Monterey Park restaurant owner who was kidnaped last weekend was found beaten to death Wednesday night in the back of her van , which had been abandoned on a residential street in Rosemead, authorities reported Thursday.

Moy Ly, 41, who owned two restaurants in Monterey Park and was co-owner of a third, was abducted at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday after she left the First Chaur Jou Seafood Restaurant with $10,000 in cash.

Coroner’s office investigators said she died of blunt force trauma to the neck and head. “Obviously, definitely, this is being investigated as a homicide,” said coroner’s spokesman Scott Carrier.

Ly was attacked by a man who apparently waited for her inside her van. As she pulled out of the restaurant parking lot, employees heard calls for help and saw Ly struggling with the man inside the vehicle.

Monterey Park police put out a call for public assistance Tuesday to find Ly. A Rosemead resident who read a newspaper account of the case saw the van parked on Marshall Street near Brookline Avenue and contacted authorities Wednesday night, said Deputy Patrick Hauser.

The $10,000 Ly had with her when she left the restaurant on Saturday night was missing when her body was found, Hauser said.

Authorities have been reluctant to theorize who might be responsible for the crime. However, Monterey Park police have said that Ly was probably kidnaped by someone familiar with her business practices.

At the plush First Chaur Jou restaurant, where Ly was part-owner and served as the financial manager, stunned waiters and waitresses gathered at the television to watch news accounts of her discovery, a waiter said Thursday afternoon. Several people wept openly, he said.

“We are all stunned,” said waiter Tony Ngor, 25, who has worked at the restaurant for two years.

Ly, who was married and had three children, was described by authorities as a hard-working immigrant who put in long hours to ensure that her business enterprises flourished.