A very sad ending to Hser Nay Moo, a 7-year-old Burmese immigrant

Local News

Hser Nay Moo, a 7-year-old Burmese immigrant who was born in a refuge camp and moved to SLC with her family last summer, disappeared from her family's apartment on Monday afternoon. She was last seen playing in the apartment's parking lot after checking in with her Aunt at 1:00pm who was tending her new 3-week old baby brother.  The Mother was at the hospital for a post-birth check up and the Father was at work.

At 2:00 Hser Nay Moo's 11-year old brother came into his aunt to say he could not find his sister. The Mother came home shortly thereafter and the police were called at 6:00pm (only because they do not speak English and had to wait for someone who could understand them + help them).

Concern led authorities to launch a large-scale search effort -- which included surveillance from the air, ground volunteers and K-9 units. Chief Snyder said police interviewed 40 sex offenders who live in the area.  Officers also searched vehicles, and went door-to-door at apartments and homes in the neighborhood, however there were 3 apartments they could get clearance on.   

The girl's father spoke (with an interpreter) to the news media throughout the day and pleaded with a potential kidnapper to return his daughter safely. He said at the refugee camp, no one ever worried about their children's safety because their culture was like family and it was possible that she trusted someone that she should not have trusted.

Apparently so!

Just before 9:00 p.m. last night, authorities sealed off the area around the girl's apartment with crime scene tape.  During a news conference, authorities said the girl's body was found inside a bathroom of one of the three neighboring apartments that had not been previously searched.  When officers found the girl, she was already dead.  

Exactly what happened to the child in the hours after her disappearance or how she ended up in the neighboring apartment, where her body was found, was not immediately known.   Interestingly, unfortunately, the 5 individuals taken into custody were also Burmese immigrant/refugees . . . men who lived only a couple doors away from the Woah family . . .  people the family trusted because they too had gone through similar hardships of getting out of their country and coming to this one.

Hser Nay Moo was Mr. + Mrs. Cartoon Woah's only daughter (four brothers).  A very sad story.  

God bless her family . . . especially her parents.