What part of this story doesn't sound suspicious?
The website of the Jh Model Agency in Shanghai, which was not accessible on Tuesday, had featured a photo and the name of Canadian supermodel Daria Werbowy, whose New York agency said the picture was likely being used without permission
But working in China wasn't the star-studded dream O'Brien thought it would be. And only about two weeks into her three-month contract with Jh Model Agency, O'Brien was found dead, possibly the victim of a botched break-and-enter.
Days before her suspected murder, O'Brien complained to her friends about the type of assignments she was getting in Shanghai. Many models here are hired for club and restaurant openings or product launches, where their job is to decorate the scene.
It's not unusual for them to be sent to dancing jobs as well - the type of work O'Brien was doing for the Chinese agency, friends said. She was told to dance in long, flowing robes, said friend Melanie Callas.
"It wasn't provocative. She could dance however she wanted, but it was sort of odd," said Callas.
O'Brien was getting homesick, and had decided to return to Canada on July 24 or 25. She wanted to be back in Saltspring Island at the home she shared with her boyfriend.
The day before her death, O'Brien was assigned to work in Kunming, Yunnan, a city near the Chinese border with Vietnam. She was to stay over the weekend. She left her apartment Saturday, but didn't make it out of Shanghai.
On Tuesday, the website of the Jh Model Agency was not accessible. Earlier, however, the site featured pictures of dozens of Chinese and international models, calling the company one of China's top agencies.Something here just reeks of creepy. Why did the website shut down before police discovered her body? Why were they able to vacate the offices so quickly? How much of a coincidence is it that she tried to break her contract and suddenly turned up dead? And how much of a coincidence is it that Chinese authorities were able to find an 18 year old man so quickly after taking two days to officially begin the investigation? Any way you shake it, this doesn't make sense.
There was no answer Tuesday at either of the phone numbers listed for the Chinese agency, and a visit to the rundown building where the modelling agency was supposed to be located proved puzzling. A young man who answered the door said he was a wedding photographer who had moved in a month ago, adding he knew nothing about a modelling agency.
But his neighbours in the down-market building told a different story. They said four people worked out of the office and that it was, in fact, a modelling agency. One neighbour said she rode in the elevator just last week with two Western models.
A second address listed for the modelling agency, an office at another rundown apartment complex, was closed and nobody answered the bell.
Anyways, as I did the last time we discussed a murdered model, here are some of the photos that have been broadcast so far:
