In 2014, the residents of Guilderland, New York, in Albany County, were shocked by the horrific murder of the Chen family. Despite an extensive investigation that continues today, investigators have never arrested anyone for the crime.
Who Were the Chens?
Chen Jinfeng, 39, his wife, Li Hai Yan, 38, and their two sons, Anthony, 10, and Eddy, 7, resided in a four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home at 1846 Western Avenue in Guilderland, New York. The children attended Guilderland Elementary School. The family is believed to be from Fujian, a coastal province in South China, before moving to the U.S.
Jinfeng previously owned a Chinese restaurant but went out of business in 2012. Afterward, he secured a job at another local Chinese restaurant.
Quadruple Murder
At 1 p.m. on October 8, 2014, a co-worker of Jinfeng’s arrived at the Chen home after Jinfeng failed to show up for work. The co-worker walked inside and found the bloody bodies of Jinfeng, his wife, and their two children. He then called the police.
When authorities arrived on the scene, they discovered the family had been bludgeoned to death. All of the victims had head and facial fractures caused by a knife and hammer, according to 2014 reports. Crime scene technicians remained on the family’s property for hours, processing the scene, collecting evidence, and setting up a folding table in the home’s backyard surrounded by plastic bins.
Police believe the murders occurred between 3:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Jinfeng was found downstairs, while Hai Yan Li and the children were found upstairs covered with blankets.
Multi-jurisdictional Investigation
Several law enforcement agencies handled the quadruple murder: the FBI, Guilderland Police, New York City Police, New York State Police, and the U.S. Department of State.
Through the extensive investigation, detectives discovered that Jinfeng reportedly managed substantial quantities of unrecorded cash, which circulated among undocumented Chinese restaurant workers within an underground economy stretching from New York City to the Capital Region and beyond. (Clukey, 2014)
Local officials referred to Jinfeng’s secretive business as an “off-the-grid” operation. As a result, investigators subsequently began looking into gangs, human trafficking, and illegal immigration.
Jinfeng reportedly hosted a gambling party on October 7, the day preceding the murders, with claims that the assailant aimed to steal cash from the residence, as per one media source. However, his brother refuted this claim, stating that Jinfeng merely organized small card games for friends. (Ferrarin, 2022)
Wife was in the U.S. Illegally
According to a Newsday article, while Jinfeng was legally in the United States, his wife, Li Hai Yan, was not. Investigators learned that other Chinese workers who knew the couple were also undocumented.
In 2015, Albany County District Attorney P. David Soares offered immunity from immigration charges to anyone who provided information relevant to the case. However, no one accepted the offer of immunity in exchange for information about the murders.
Investigators had more than 600 leads in the quadruple murders, but they had no suspects and have never arrested anyone in connection with the brutal crime. The biggest obstacle was the language barrier, so they had to bring in a Chinese interpreter to speak with friends of the Chens.
Aftermath
Following the quadruple murder, family members of the Chen family in Chinatown in New York City held a news conference offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Unfortunately, nobody came forward.
On the ninth anniversary of the murders, the New York State Police publicly appealed for new information on the family murders, posting on their X account.
“State Police continue to investigate the murder of the Chen family 9 years after the tragedy. The NYSP are focused on solving this crime and are asking for assistance.” (Neath, 2023)
Authorities also issued another appeal in October 2024. As of this writing, the case remains unsolved.
Similar Cases
One year before the Chen family murders, illegal Chinese immigrant Mingdong Chen, then 25, confessed to killing his cousin’s wife, 37-year-old Qiao Zhen Li, and her children, Linda, 9, Amy, 7, and Kevin, 5, and William, 1, in their Brooklyn, New York home in October 2013. All five victims had stab wounds to their upper bodies, police said. Chen had been living with the family temporarily. He was later sentenced to life in prison.
In January 2014 in Cypress, Texas, 58-year-old Feng Lu brutally murdered Maoye Sun, his wife, Mei Xie, and their two small children, Timothy, 9, and Titus, 7. Lu was not arrested until September 2022, when DNA linked him to the murders more than eight years after the crime.
If you have any information regarding the Chen family murder, please call:
New York State Police
Troop G, Major Crimes
518-783-3212
or e-mail the information to: crimetip@troopers.ny.gov
Sources
Clukey, Keshia. “NYPD Joins Slayings Probe.” Times Union via Wayback Machine, October 12, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20181002020138/https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/NYPD-joins-quadruple-homicide-investigation-5818128.php
Ferrarin, Elena. “The Chen Family Murders of Upstate New York Remain Shrouded in Mystery.” A&E TV, April 4, 2022. https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/chen-family-murder
“Homicide Victim: Chen family.” New York State Police. https://troopers.ny.gov/homicide-victim-chen-family
Neath, Amelia. “New York Police Launch Fresh Appeal to Solve 2014 Murders of Family-of-four.” The Independent, October 9, 2023. https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/cold-case-chen-family-appeal-b2426573.html