Shen Cai Biography
A 49-year-old Lexington mother was found beaten to death inside her car early Thursday morning, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s office.
According to Masslive Shen Cai of Lexington was last seen May 28, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said at a press conference Friday afternoon.
@DAMarianRyan says 49-year-old Shen Cai was found dead inside a car on Worthen Rd, near Waltham street early Thursday morning. Her friends report Cai told them she had concerns about her own safety. Authorities would not say if her husband is a suspect. @NBC10Boston pic.twitter.com/QX4RFIkctR
— Malcolm Johnson NBC10 Boston (@MalNBCBoston) May 31, 2019
A white car containing Cai’s body was found near the high school and athletic field, Ryan said. Cai died after sustaining “multiple blunt traumas,” Ryan said. Her death is being investigated as a homicide, Ryan said.
Lexington police said they had no reason to believe others in the town were at risk at this time.
Cai was married and has a daughter and a step son, Ryan said.
Asked if the husband was being questioned, Ryan said: “We are early on in the process of talking to lots of folks.”
Ryan said Cai had no record with police, but she expressed fear about her safety to friends before she disappeared.
Shen Cai’s Friends Found Her Inside a Car After Conducting a Search for Her
According to Ryan, the victim’s friends “had been searching for her and located her inside that car. She was pronounced dead on the scene. The investigators initially observed some suspicious trauma.
They conducted an autopsy. She sustained multiple blunt trauma.”
#Lexington PD in the early stages of a homicide investigation @boston25 49yo Shen Cai found dead inside a vehicle early Thursday morning pic.twitter.com/Q4oxjHM89x
— Julie Leonardi (@JulieLeonardiTV) May 31, 2019
Shen Cai Son, Husband, Family
Ryan added that Cai was last been seen by her husband and friends on May 28, 2019. On May 29, her friends became concerned because she missed at least two scheduled appointments, and she had previously reported to her friends that she had concerns about her safety.
The District Attorney did not detail what those concerns were. She did say that Cai’s friends searched for her for several hours and explained, “This does not appear to be a random act, and we have no continuing concerns about other members of the community.” Ryan did not explain what leads authorities to believe the slaying is not random.
She said the vehicle was registered to Shen Cai’s family and that there were no prior reports of violent episodes. “She has a daughter and her husband also has a son,” said the DA, who added that Cai was found in the front seat of the car.
She stressed that it was “very early in the investigation.” Authorities have not announced any suspects or motives in Shen Cai’s death.
Boston Herald reporter Mary Markos reported that Cai’s death is the first homicide in Lexington since 1994.