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She Checked Into a Motel and Never Checked Out
She Checked Into a Motel and Never Checked Out
A nineteen-year-old student checked into a motel outside Iowa City with a man she had known for three years. She was seen entering. She was never seen leaving. For nearly three weeks, her body lay in a suitcase in the trunk of her own car, parked on a public street while people walked past it. How does a young woman disappear in plain sight?
In this episode, we analyze the murder of Tong Sha in Iowa. We examine the reassuring texts sent in her name after she died, the suitcase bought the next day, the killer's flight to a country with no extradition treaty, and the diplomatic effort that finally brought a conviction. What does justice look like when it has to cross an ocean to arrive?
Victim: Tong Sha
Age: 19 years old
Date: September 7, 2014
Location: Iowa City, Iowa
Perpetrator: Xiang Nan Lee
Outcome: Convicted in China; life imprisonment
- Tong Sha, a 19-year-old Chinese student at Iowa State, checked into a motel with a man she had known for three years and was never seen leaving.
- For about three weeks her body lay in a suitcase in the trunk of her own car, parked on a public street near apartments.
- After her death, reassuring texts were sent in her name to her roommates and parents to delay any alarm.
- The killer, Xiang Nan Lee, bought a suitcase the next day, then fled via Chicago and Los Angeles to China, where there is no extradition treaty.
- After a years-long diplomatic effort, Lee was arrested and prosecuted in China, pleading guilty to intentional homicide and receiving life imprisonment.
To listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.com
OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.
Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.
We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.
From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.
© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie
A nineteen-year-old student checked into a motel outside Iowa City with a man she had known for three years. She was seen entering. She was never seen leaving. For nearly three weeks, her body lay in a suitcase in the trunk of her own car, parked on a public street while people walked past it. How does a young woman disappear in plain sight?
In this episode, we analyze the murder of Tong Sha in Iowa. We examine the reassuring texts sent in her name after she died, the suitcase bought the next day, the killer's flight to a country with no extradition treaty, and the diplomatic effort that finally brought a conviction. What does justice look like when it has to cross an ocean to arrive?
Victim: Tong Sha
Age: 19 years old
Date: September 7, 2014
Location: Iowa City, Iowa
Perpetrator: Xiang Nan Lee
Outcome: Convicted in China; life imprisonment
- Tong Sha, a 19-year-old Chinese student at Iowa State, checked into a motel with a man she had known for three years and was never seen leaving.
- For about three weeks her body lay in a suitcase in the trunk of her own car, parked on a public street near apartments.
- After her death, reassuring texts were sent in her name to her roommates and parents to delay any alarm.
- The killer, Xiang Nan Lee, bought a suitcase the next day, then fled via Chicago and Los Angeles to China, where there is no extradition treaty.
- After a years-long diplomatic effort, Lee was arrested and prosecuted in China, pleading guilty to intentional homicide and receiving life imprisonment.
To listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.com
OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.
Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.
We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.
From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.
© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie
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By Creator at ObomediaShe Checked Into a Motel and Never Checked Out
A nineteen-year-old student checked into a motel outside Iowa City with a man she had known for three years. She was seen entering. She was never seen leaving. For nearly three weeks, her body lay in a suitcase in the trunk of her own car, parked on a public street while people walked past it. How does a young woman disappear in plain sight?
In this episode, we analyze the murder of Tong Sha in Iowa. We examine the reassuring texts sent in her name after she died, the suitcase bought the next day, the killer's flight to a country with no extradition treaty, and the diplomatic effort that finally brought a conviction. What does justice look like when it has to cross an ocean to arrive?
Victim: Tong Sha
Age: 19 years old
Date: September 7, 2014
Location: Iowa City, Iowa
Perpetrator: Xiang Nan Lee
Outcome: Convicted in China; life imprisonment
- Tong Sha, a 19-year-old Chinese student at Iowa State, checked into a motel with a man she had known for three years and was never seen leaving.
- For about three weeks her body lay in a suitcase in the trunk of her own car, parked on a public street near apartments.
- After her death, reassuring texts were sent in her name to her roommates and parents to delay any alarm.
- The killer, Xiang Nan Lee, bought a suitcase the next day, then fled via Chicago and Los Angeles to China, where there is no extradition treaty.
- After a years-long diplomatic effort, Lee was arrested and prosecuted in China, pleading guilty to intentional homicide and receiving life imprisonment.
To listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.com
OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.
Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.
We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.
From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.
© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie
A nineteen-year-old student checked into a motel outside Iowa City with a man she had known for three years. She was seen entering. She was never seen leaving. For nearly three weeks, her body lay in a suitcase in the trunk of her own car, parked on a public street while people walked past it. How does a young woman disappear in plain sight?
In this episode, we analyze the murder of Tong Sha in Iowa. We examine the reassuring texts sent in her name after she died, the suitcase bought the next day, the killer's flight to a country with no extradition treaty, and the diplomatic effort that finally brought a conviction. What does justice look like when it has to cross an ocean to arrive?
Victim: Tong Sha
Age: 19 years old
Date: September 7, 2014
Location: Iowa City, Iowa
Perpetrator: Xiang Nan Lee
Outcome: Convicted in China; life imprisonment
- Tong Sha, a 19-year-old Chinese student at Iowa State, checked into a motel with a man she had known for three years and was never seen leaving.
- For about three weeks her body lay in a suitcase in the trunk of her own car, parked on a public street near apartments.
- After her death, reassuring texts were sent in her name to her roommates and parents to delay any alarm.
- The killer, Xiang Nan Lee, bought a suitcase the next day, then fled via Chicago and Los Angeles to China, where there is no extradition treaty.
- After a years-long diplomatic effort, Lee was arrested and prosecuted in China, pleading guilty to intentional homicide and receiving life imprisonment.
To listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.com
OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.
Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.
We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.
From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.
© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie