Police investigate whether man who followed women killed Chinese woman

Police believe a man seen following women in a forested area in Tampere could be responsible for the 2011 killing of Yuqing Yin, Yle reports. The 42-year-old Chinese woman was attacked while walking back to work at Nokia’s Hervanta site after her lunch break.

Yin was walking along a forest path through Näyttämönpuisto when someone attacked her. The killing took place in the middle of the day, and the case remains unsolved.

Detective Chief Inspector Jari Luoto said police had received about five reports of a man who had been staying in the same area where Yin was killed. The man had followed women near the crime scene several days before her death. Some reports were made immediately after the killing, while others came years later.

Police had previously publicised sightings of a man running in Näyttämönpuisto shortly after the killing. Investigators believe the runner may be the same man who followed women in the forest.

“We are fairly confident that the runner is a very strong potential suspect,” Luoto said.

Police have not located the man, who has never come forward. Investigators believe he may have known the area well, suggesting that he may have lived in Hervanta or spent considerable time there.

People who heard Yin’s cries for help came to assist her, and police arrived at the scene in less than 10 minutes. According to information obtained by Yle, the attacker approached from behind and struck Yin with a bladed weapon in a forest clearing. She was still alive but unable to speak and died despite resuscitation attempts. Luoto did not confirm those details.

A large number of police officers were available because a field exercise for police recruits was due to begin at the Police University College, about two kilometres from the scene. Police cordoned off a large park and forest area and used a police dog, but the killer escaped.

Witness descriptions of the man seen running in Näyttämönpuisto are similar. All witnesses said he was wearing a light-coloured shirt and dark trousers. Descriptions of the clothing worn by the man who followed women in the area vary depending on when and by whom the report was made.

Witnesses described the man in the forest as having tanned skin. Police said they were not certain of the suspect’s ethnic background.

Although the runner is now the main line of investigation, Luoto stressed that other possibilities had not been ruled out.