警方回应是否公布“梅姨”照片

A woman long known only by the alias "Meiyi" or Aunt Mei, a key suspect in one of China's most widely followed child trafficking cases, has been captured after years on the run, police in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, said on Saturday.

The case dates back to between September 2003 and December 2005, when several children were abducted in locations including Zengcheng in Guangzhou and Boluo in Huizhou, both in Guangdong.

After the crimes were reported, the Ministry of Public Security and the Guangdong provincial public security department listed the case as a major supervised investigation. A joint task force comprising provincial, municipal and district police was established.

In 2016, police arrested Zhang Weiping and four other suspects. Zhang admitted to abducting and trafficking children and told investigators the children had been sold through "Meiyi".

In April 2023, Zhang and other principal offenders were executed. However, because the true identity of "Meiyi" remained unknown, the woman at the center of the case had not been brought to justice.

Police said investigators continued to revisit locations, follow up on leads, publish sketches and solicit tips from the public over the years. In 2025, the task force identified a woman surnamed Xie whose features closely matched those associated with "Meiyi". Further verification confirmed her identity.

Now, Xie has confessed her involvement in child trafficking, and the investigation continues.

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