By Jessica McSweeney, Nick Newling, Riley Walter and Clare Sibthorpe
The relationship between an avid sailor and a brothel owner will form part of a police investigation after their mysterious deaths on board a yacht on Sydney’s north shore.
The bodies of Peter Ray, 56, and Lixin Wang, 60, were found on the 47-foot yacht moored at Tunks Park in Cammeray on Wednesday night.
Police removed two bodies from the yacht on Thursday morning. Credit: Nick Moir
Police were told the pair had planned to stay on the 47-foot yacht Taloha on Monday night. However, a friend became concerned when they hadn’t returned to land by Wednesday night and raised the alarm.
When Sydney Water Police officers boarded the yacht about 9pm, they found the couple’s bodies.
Officers detected fumes on board and Fire and Rescue NSW were called to help. Whether the pair were overcome by fumes will form one line of inquiry.
Peter Ray and Bondi brothel owner Lixin Wang were found dead onboard a luxury yacht at Cammeray on Wednesday night.Credit: Nine News
Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) records show Bondi Junction brothel The Flamingo Club is registered to Wang, who appears in online directories as a remedial massage therapist.
Detective Inspector Siobhan Munro said the bodies were found with no obvious indications of what caused their deaths, but there were no signs of domestic violence.
“The cause of death is not obvious, and so all evidence is being considered, and obviously all information will be taken on board. Nothing is being discounted at this time,” she said.
Munro said the deaths were being treated as suspicious only because the cause of death was not yet clear.
The bodies were removed from the yacht, which belonged to Ray, onto stretchers at the boat ramp at 9.15am on Thursday. Ray and Wang’s bodies were loaded into vans along with evidence boxes.
Two cars belonging to Ray and Wang were towed away from the boat ramp car park by police.
One resident who said she regularly came to the waterside park said, “It’s a nice quiet area. It’s just sad. I hope it’s an accident.”
A post-mortem examination will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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