Also by Shane Lambert
Down and Out in the Canadian Rockies
A Worker's Odyssey in a Canadian Rockies Resort Town
Missing Person Case Details: Ani Ashekian
| Field |
Details |
| Name |
Ani Ashekian |
| Missing Since and From |
November 10th, 2008 to November 11, 2008 (seen early on Nov. 11 on CCTV at an ATM at about 00:05am).
Sent a text message on November 10th, 2008.
Appeared on CCTV footage at about 00:05am on November 11th, 2008, at the ATM near Causeway Bay MTR Station. Tsim Sha Shui is mentioned as her last location in a Hong Kong Police Force publication. |
| Year of Birth |
1978 |
| Birthdate Range |
Somewhere between January 1st, 1978 to November 10th, 1978. |
| Age at Disappearance |
30 |
| Gender |
Female |
| Biological Group |
White according to Canada's Missing, but appears swarthy in some photos. |
| Eye Color |
Brown |
| Hair |
Brown, Curly, Wavy |
| Height |
162 cm / 5ft 4in |
Weight
BMI |
54 kg / 119 lb
BMI is about 20.7. |
Distinguishing Features
Clothing |
Tattoos: Yin-yang and dolphin on hips (see Gallery 4 for images)
She was last seen wearing a white shirt and carrying a rucksack. |
| Canada’s Missing Database Reference |
2014005202 |
Case Form A:
(1) Subject Travels Abroad
(2) Subject Does Not Check-in For Return Transportation.
This case is a strong fit for Case Form A. However, it's not perfect. In this case form, the missed transportation, in Ani's case a missed flight, is what causes her to be regarded as a missing person. It seems the family thought something was amiss before she missed her flight. That said, the media coverage that I found only started after she missed her flight, making Case Form A a strong fit.
By: Shane Lambert
Original Publication Date: October 6th, 2025
This individual, Ani Ashekian, has been missing since going abroad to China in 2008. Despite appearing on Canada's Missing, she did not go missing while in Canada. Her last contact on November 10th, 2008, was from Hong Kong, when she contacted her sister to wish that sister's daughter a happy 2nd birthday. This was via text message.
Her itinerary included a flight to Beijing, China on October 24th, 2008 or October 25th, 2008. She did not board her return flight on December 15th, 2008.
She was thought to be alone when she disappeared, but she had two friends with her earlier in her trip. These friends, reportedly, did not accompany her between Beijing and Hong Kong. She arrived in Hong Kong on November 9th and had plans to go on to Cambodia, Vietnam, and India. Records show she did not leave Hong Kong.
However, family felt that something was amiss long before the first newspaper reports on December 20th, 2008 (by my research). On November 10th, 2008, she made two cash advances on her credit card. This credit card, which I think was a Visa, was her primary source of cash while she travelled.
 |
| Windsor Star. Dec. 20th, 2008. |
Ani Ashekian: From Windsor but Lived in Toronto
Askekian made news in Windsor, Ontario, where she was from. But in one newspaper article I found, she was described as being from Toronto, where she had an apartment with a lease that expired at the end of December 2008.
Her case included a reference to ChungKing Mansions in Hong Kong. This was described as low-cost accommodation of some sort and where she was thought to have stayed during her trip to Hong Kong. I think this accommodation choice is likely central to her disappearance.
 |
| Globe and Mail. December 31st, 2008. |
Family Members Tried Hard To Find Ani Ashekian
There was a strong effort made to find her. The family seemed to have means and a determination to find Ani.
Her boyfriend went to Hong Kong to try and find her. Furthermore, they hired a private investigator in Hong Kong. The family even resorted to psychics, which may signify desperation more than genuine hope, as I don't believe psychics do anything to locate missing people.
 |
| December 9, 2010. Windsor Star. |
Hong Kong Police Force Appeals for Information - Online
"Appeal for information on missing woman***************************************
Police today (December 24) appealed for information on a woman missing in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Ani Ashekian, 30, a Canadian who arrived in Hong Kong in November, was last seen in Chungking Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui, on November 10. The Canadian authorities made a report to the Hong Kong Police on December 9.
She is about 1.6 metres tall, of normal build and weighs about 54kg. She has a pointed face, white complexion and long curly brown hair. She was last seen wearing white shirt and carrying a rucksack.
Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing woman or who may have seen her is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit, Hong Kong Island, on 2860 1045 or any police station.
Police Report No. 2
Ends" (Source: link good as of October 6th, 2025)
The photo above appeared on the Hong Kong police's webpage. I wondered if the blurred-out faces were of the friends she had traveled with, but this is speculative.
Speculative Commentary
In my opinion, one significant aspect of the case is that she went missing on a day when she twice used her credit card for cash advances. The total she withdrew was about $470 CAD.
The question in my mind is whether she made her final withdrawal under any duress, but that didn't seem to be so. Yet, I decided to look at whether tourists being forced to make bank withdrawals by abductors was a thing in Hong Kong back at about the time of Ashekian's disappearance. These are called Express Kidnappings, but I will refer to them as Express Abductions, as kidnappings mean child abduction and children don't have credit cards.
So-called Express Abductions
Express abductions are brief, opportunistic abductions where criminals hold victims, often tourists, for hours to extract quick cash, typically via ATM withdrawals or digital transfers. Perpetrators, often posing as taxi drivers or using ride-hailing scams, target victims in urban areas, forcing them to withdraw daily card limits (e.g., $500–$10,000) or transfer funds via apps. The kidnappings are short to minimize exposure, with victims driven to multiple ATMs or held until limits reset.
That Ani was last seen at a bank machine is a flag for this kind of abduction, perhaps one that turned more serious than just a temporary abduction. That she made two withdrawals in the same day might fit this kind of abduction, yet it doesn't fit her long-term disappearance, nor does it fit her lack of duress while captured on CCTV making her second withdrawal. Furthermore, this kind of criminal activity, although it happens to tourists a lot in the world, is not common in Hong Kong, which is considered a safe area.
Chungking Mansions, Late-Night, and Attractive Solo Woman: Dangerous Combination
But the withdrawals could be just a result of her spending a lot of money on that day. People let loose or bump into unexpected expenses all of the time while traveling.
In the final analysis, I think the Chungking Mansions as her accommodation is the biggest flag in her case. It doesn't help that she likely returned to these dangerous accommodations late at night (supported by the post-midnight bank withdrawal) as a solo woman, who appears attractive in her photos at the time of her disappearance.
There are still online reviews of the area and accommodations from the years surrounding her disappearance. There is a theme of dangerous people in many of the reviews below, suggesting that a single woman who is attractive might have ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you have a look at the reviews of the Chungking Mansions (Source: TripAdvisor), then I think it will show that she was in a dangerous area at night.
In conclusion, I will say one thing related to my personal experience.
My profession, besides freelance writing, is hotel work. Primarily, I work the night shifts at resort town hotels (Down and Out in the Canadian Rockies, my masterpiece).
One thing I have always had trouble getting day shift coworkers to understand is that people who seem friendly and safe at 2PM are often very different at 2AM. I think this could apply to neighborhoods as well. If the Chungking Mansions had a safe vibe during the day, I'm very sure they were different at night when she presumably tried to return. I wonder if a safe daytime vibe failed to prepare her for what she probably encountered late at night. On that note, check out the reviews.
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