Slain girl's broken dream

Jiayi Lee (left) wanted to finish her business course and start a karaoke bar, but her body was found in Hamilton, hidden in the boot of her car (right). Photo / Supplied, Steven McNicholl

Teenager Jiayi Li came to New Zealand with dreams of a better life. Her goal was to finish a business course and open a karaoke bar and pool hall.

"She loved singing karaoke and playing pool, and she thought it would be great if she could set up a place where people can come and do both," a friend told the Herald yesterday.

But instead, her family and friends are grieving after the body of the 18-year-old Chinese student was found in the boot of her car on a Hamilton street, 125km from where she was last seen.

Two men, aged 18 and 20, appeared in court in Auckland yesterday charged with murder.

Miss Li - also known as Kiko - had not been seen since about 2am on May 19, the day police believe she was killed.

Her body may have been in the car for almost two weeks.

Her death has devastated her family and friends. Her parents are understood to be arriving in Auckland, from Beijing, tomorrow.

Easin Xie, whose wife is Miss Li's cousin, said the family was in total shock.

"My wife hasn't stopped crying since we got the news from the police," he said.

Miss Li arrived in New Zealand from Hubei 16 months ago, and enrolled at the St George Institute of Learning on Queen St, where she was close to completing a business diploma.

It is understood that although she had relatives in New Zealand, Miss Li's parents wanted her to live alone so she could learn to be independent.

The grieving friend - who wished to be known only as Lucy - told the Herald that although Miss Li did not have a boyfriend, she would sometimes go out with friends she had made online, including men.

She had been an active member of several Chinese social networking sites, and kept her own blog on 163.com.

Online, Miss Li described herself as "a summer person", who did not believe in living in the past. She listed her hobbies as movies, beauty and fashion.

"I still cannot believe she is gone. I hope I will wake up and this is just a nightmare," Lucy said.

Earlier, another friend told the Herald she last saw Miss Li with a mystery Chinese man early on May 19. Miss Li had dropped the friend in Kingsland about 2am.

"We were stuck because our car got towed away so I texted Kiko to come get us," said the friend, who had known Miss Li for about six months. "When Kiko came, there was another Chinese guy in the car who we have not met before. He was very quiet and did not say anything throughout the journey and they drove off together after dropping us."

Miss Li's red Toyota car sat outside Albert Parata's Hamilton home for more than a week before a television appeal on Tuesday night for information about her disappearance made him think twice about the vehicle.

"I just thought it looked pretty nice and quite flash outside my property," he said. "We just happened to catch the registration on TV ... sure enough it was the car the police were looking for."

Investigators set up a cordon on Oakfield Cres in the suburb of Pukete and enclosed the car in a blue tent as forensic investigators worked on it.

"I just feel sad for that poor young girl and her parents," said Mr Parata.

Police removed the car from the street about midday yesterday.

Mr Parata and his family are considering moving themselves, despite having lived there for less than six months.

"The missus was pretty upset by it and she was crying about it, so I think we probably will move somewhere else," he said.

Other residents were also shocked at the discovery of Miss Li's body.

One said the street - which is dimly lit by widely-spaced lamp posts - was friendly and safe but "probably the ideal place to dump a car with a body in it".

"The car was just sitting there for days which isn't unusual, but when we found out there was a body in it well that was freaky," said a young mother.

The two men charged with Miss Li's murder have been granted interim name suppression so they can tell their families in China of their arrests.

Both appeared in the Auckland District Court yesterday afternoon - one in a boiler suit and the other wearing a black t-shirt and a boiler suit open to his waist.

They are jointly charged with Miss Li's murder and using a knife to rob her of her National Bank eftpos card and her Toyota on May 19.

They were also jointly charged with attempting to use her eftpos card at Mt Albert and in Tamaki Dr.