Friend Nicky changed her story, naming employer Mark Wallace
“According to Nicky's new story, she had referred Hang Lee to a man named Mark Stephen Wallace, who also happened to be her employer. At the time of her disappearance, Hang had been working at a local Chinese restaurant called Wong Cafe. He had allegedly asked Nicky as well if she had any friends who were looking for jobs. And at the time, Nicky did find this strange as he didn't have enough jobs going on to actually hire more people.”
Cadaver dogs hit on a scent under Wallace's garage in 2009
“Now fast forward to 2009, police launched another search into the home that he had been living in for the past few years. They brought in cadaver dogs, and it appeared that they picked up a scent somewhere underneath the garage. Holes were drilled, but nothing came up.”
Police dismissed the disappearance as a runaway case for six months
“Because it was the 90s, the police refused to take this report seriously, sounds like every other case we've come across, but that's just how it went at times. The police told her parents that she had most likely run away. While that is not unheard of, Hang had no reason to run away. Would someone intent on running away and starting a new life, not pack even a bag and leave behind their purse, all their clothing items, their savings, their last paycheck?”
Hang told her brother to look for her if she didn't return
“And what's even more strange is that right before Hang left her home, she told one of her younger brothers, Koa, that she was going to a job interview, and that, quote, if I don't come back, come and look for me, unquote. As if that wasn't ominous enough, some sources have also reported that she also added an additional comment saying, quote, I don't trust Nikki, unquote.”
Family flyers forced police to reopen the investigation
“So with the help of the other 13 kids, the Lee family began printing and posting up missing persons flyers with Hang's information. Because of this, the community started to pay more attention, and it also sounded like the police were more or less forced to do some more digging. Otherwise, it kind of looked bad, I guess. They went back again to question Nicky, this so-called friend who was last seen with Hang Lee, and this time, she had a complete different story to tell the police.”
Wallace had prior rape convictions involving fake job offers
“The police looked into who Wallace was and what they found was very alarming. A few years prior to Hang Lee's disappearance, Wallace had been convicted in two cases involving violent rape. While that is concerning, what actually stood out even more is that in one of the cases, he had to use promises of a job opportunity to lure one of his victims, a 16-year-old girl. Does that sound familiar?”
Wallace allegedly bragged about cutting through bone to a 2016 victim
“While on one of his verbally abusive tirades towards the victim, he had allegedly threatened to do to her what he did to that girl in 1993, which I would think is him referring to Hang Lee. He continued on, saying that he knew exactly how to get rid of evidence and how to cut through bone. The most damning thing he said was probably, quote, she entered my business and never came out, unquote.”
