Investigation into Taiwanese Influencer’s Death Leads to Rapper’s Detention

A well-known Chinese-Malaysian rapper and filmmaker has been detained to help with a police investigation into the murder of a Taiwanese social media influencer, according to his lawyer.

Wee Meng Chi, better known as Name Wee, presented himself to authorities early on Wednesday and will remain in custody for six days, as stated by his lawyer, Joshua Tay.

On Tuesday, police announced they were looking for Wee after they reclassified the death of Xie Yuxin, who was found dead in a hotel bathtub, as a homicide, following new evidence that had come to light.

Xie, 31, was discovered dead in a Kuala Lumpur hotel bathtub on October 22. She had a significant following on Instagram and also managed an OnlyFans account.

Reports indicated that the police mentioned the suspect was last seen with Wee prior to Xie’s untimely death.

Initially, Wee was briefly detained and subsequently faced separate drug possession charges, which he has denied.

Xie, a former nurse, was known as the “Nurse Goddess” among her fans. She arrived in Malaysia on October 20 and had plans to stay for four days.

Authorities are currently awaiting a complete post-mortem and toxicology report to establish the official cause of her death.

Wee, who is 42 years old, expressed his sorrow over Xie’s passing but has maintained his innocence. In an Instagram update following his surrender, he pledged to assist the investigation to help provide clarity for the public and Xie’s family.

Attorney Tay remarked, “I hope that the investigation will be conducted thoroughly and with the utmost objectivity and fairness.”

Wee is known for his provocative and often controversial art and has faced multiple police inquiries in the past for his work critiquing politics, race, and religion through music and film.

In previous years, he encountered criticism for satirizing the Malaysian national anthem and for a film banned by the government due to its portrayal of state institutions. In 2016, he was detained after an uproar over a music video that utilized various places of worship, which activists claimed disrespected Islam. He argued that the video’s intent was to promote religious tolerance, and ultimately, no charges were filed.

Again in 2018, he found himself in trouble over another music video featuring dancers in dog masks, which authorities said could insult Islam and disrupt racial harmony, due to religious beliefs surrounding dogs in Malaysia.

Wee’s critiques were aimed at social issues, rather than targeting religion or race, according to his statements.

He has also faced backlash in China. In 2021, a collaboration with Australian singer Kimberly Chen that made light of Chinese nationalists’ issues led to both artists being banned from entering China and having their music removed from domestic platforms.