Priscilla Ng

Ng was killed just days before she was set to engage in a battle with her ex-husband over custody of their teen daughter but police never identified Stephen Ng or anyone else as a specific suspect in the murder case. The two had divorced in 2000 but Ng repeatedly reported that her ex-husband had been delinquent on alimony and child support payments totaling about $30,000 a month. She was also allegedly owed about $5 million from her ex-husband related to their past business ventures that he still owed until her death. The two owned several gas stations in the area together.

A year after Ng’s death, another daughter, from a previous marriage, offered a $1 million reward to find the killers.

The case went cold, however, until an email was sent to a local television reporter.

In 2007, the reward offer led a man to contact Vic Lee, a television reporter for ABC Channel 7 locally, who told Lee he had information on the case.

Lee then linked the confidential informant with Hillsborough police, who referred to the source as "credible,” said Capt. Doug Davis.

Lee broke the latest developments on the cold case murder case in a television report that aired Sunday night.

The person of interest in Singapore was recently sentenced for murder there and Hillsborough police now believe they have a new opportunity to develop leads in the cold case by speaking with him, Davis told the Daily Journal.

Hillsborough detectives have traveled to Southeast Asia over the years related to this case, he said.

Police said the suspects in Ng’s murder at the time were two Asian males who allegedly broke into the expansive home at 2545 Butternut Drive. After tying up Ng and her boyfriend Andrew Chang with a phone cord, the suspects ransacked the master bedroom where the assaults occurred and got away with an undisclosed amount of cash and jewelry. A white Lexus was also discovered to be missing among the five cars at the home. It was later found in Burlingame.

After sustaining severe life-threatening injuries from "blunt trauma and lacerations,” Chang was able to struggle free, crawl to a telephone and dial 911. He was taken to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. Ng, however, was declared dead at the scene. Her mouth and nose were taped shut and she died from asphyxiation.

When Hillsborough police first arrived on the scene, the perimeter was secure, with all doors and windows locked. Officers had to physically break into the house and the alarm system on the home had not been activated, police said at the time.

The brutal attack lasted about an hour at the Butternut Drive home before the intruders fled with cash and jewelry, including a heart-shaped jade and gold pendant Ng often wore.

As police continue to investigate the case, they have yet to name a suspect.

"I wouldn’t name Stephen Ng or anyone else as a suspect. What we have now is a unique opportunity to develop new leads,” Davis told the Daily Journal.

Hillsborough police continue to actively pursue the leads and are asking that any person who may have information relating to the case contact them. In the event a witness has information relating to this case and speaks Cantonese or Mandarin, police are encouraging a call to the Hillsborough Police Confidential Message Center at (650) 375-7473. In the event direct contact is desired, the main number for the Hillsborough police is (650) 375-7470.

silverfarb@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106