Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh, known for her provocative stunts online, was found lifeless in a hotel room in Malaysia.
Rapper Namewee claimed he found the body in a bathtub in a Kuala Lumpur hotel and called 911.
“I will not run,” the rapper said after he was placed in custody this week as part of the investigation.
Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh was found lifeless in a hotel room in Malaysia
Image credits: iriss0810
Iris Hsieh, whose real name is Hsieh Yu-hsin, had more than half a million followers online.
The influencer often shared provocative videos, one of which captured her on a bed at a Taiwanese Ikea store, removing her red lacy thong and using it to tie her hair up.
Investigators found that Iris had landed in Malaysia on 20 October to apparently collaborate on a music video with Namewee.
They were reportedly discussing the project in the hotel room before the influencer was found unresponsive.
The 31-year-old influencer had flown to Malaysia to work on a music video with rapper Namewee
Namewee claimed he went to check in on her at some point and administered CPR when he found her unconscious in the bathroom. He then called emergency services.
Authorities found her body at around 1:40 p.m. on October 22.
Her passing was initially deemed “sudden” and non-suspicious, but the case later turned into a homicide investigation.
Police have been tracing her movements from the airport to the hotel and are also taking witness statements from the hotel’s staff and security.
The 42-year-old rapper claimed he administered CPR and called 911 when he found the influencer unconscious
Police Chief Fadil Marsus said it was too early to reveal the cause of her passing.
“The post mortem and toxicology reports will give us clearer findings later,” he said in a statement this week.
Namewee, the last person known to have been with the late influencer, was arrested for the alleged possession and use of illicit substances on the day her body was found.
Officials found narcotics in his hotel room, and his urine test came positive for certain illicit substances.
On October 24, he pleaded not guilty and was released on bail.
On the day Iris’s body was found, Namewee was arrested on charges related to using and possessing illicit substances
“Investigations are ongoing from all angles, including individuals who were last with the victim. We will review all movements of both the victim and the suspect to determine whether he is a suspect,” the police chief said.
Namewee, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, maintained that he didn’t use illicit substances and denied having any involvement in the influencer’s passing.
However, he was remanded in custody on Wednesday, November 5, to assist with the investigation.
Officials said the rapper would remain in custody until November 10.
Namewee shared a video with his fans from the police station and said he was cooperating with the investigation.
The controversial rapper is currently in custody and said he is cooperating with investigators
“I will fully assist the police in their investigations and be accountable to the public and the family of the deceased,” he reportedly said in Chinese.
“I will not run,” he added. “When I was wanted seven times in the past, I turned up on my own each time, never running away.”
The rapper built a reputation for his controversial music, including a rap-parody of Malaysia’s national anthem, “Negarakuku.”
His 2021 single Fragile was a satire on Chinese nationalism, leading to the song being blocked in the country.
In addition to being banned, he has faced both public outrage and legal action for his music.
Namewee shares messages on social media denying any involvement in the influencer’s passing
Namewee previously said on Instagram that he did not use or possess illicit substances prior to his recent arrest.
“I did not take dr*gs, nor did I possess any. At most, I’ve just been drinking a little more lately. Those who believe me will do so; those who don’t, won’t,” he told his followers on Instagram in a November 2 video.
Image credits: Namewee
He went on to blame emergency responders for Iris’s passing.
“The ambulance took nearly an hour to arrive,” he claimed. “I honestly don’t know what the point of calling 999. When I called to ask, I even got scolded.”
“I will fully assist the police … “I will not run,” Namewee said on social media
Fellow influencer Vivian Hsieh expressed regret in previously working with Namewee after her friend’s passing.
“I’m ashamed to have worked with you,” Vivian wrote in Chinese on Instagram.
The influencer friend said she reached out to Namewee after Iris failed to return to Taiwan on October 24 as planned.
“You played d**d and didn’t respond. You are definitely not being forthcoming,” she wrote on social media. “All these years, I thought you were a good person, but I was wrong.”
“His reputation is not that great in the first place,” one commented online
