Abby Choi: Murdered socialite’s face could be remade with 3D tech for funeral, report says

Model’s dismembered body was recovered in February, two days after she was reported missing

The family of murdered Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi is planning to have her face recreated using 3D printing technology to give her a proper funeral, according to a new report.

Twenty-eight-year-old Choi’s dismembered body was recovered in February, two days after she was reported missing.

The gruesome murder had sent shockwaves across Hong Kong – often regarded as one of the safest cities in the world. The case was also widely discussed on social media in mainland China and Taiwan and had made headlines internationally as well.

On 27 February, Hong Kong police had charged her 28-year-old ex-husband Alex Kwong with the gruesome murder, along with his father Kwong Kau, 65, and older brother Anthony Kwong, 31.

Choi’s family is now planning to hire an overseas tech firm to use three-dimensional printing and a make-up service for recreating Choi’s face to allow for a respectful viewing of the socialite’s remains at her funeral, if needed, according to a report in the South China Morning Post.

The funeral is slated to be held on 18 June.

The report said some funeral homes in mainland China have used 3D printing to restore the faces of those who may have been disfigured in death.

A 3D model is built by scanning photos of the deceased provided by the family within two hours.

A 3D facial mask is then made within a day using resin, plaster, silicone and fibre before undertakers apply make up and a wig.

It is not yet clear if the deceased model’s family has opted for this.

“Many cases of bioprinting [in Hong Kong] are for medical purposes in universities or hospitals, such as producing human cells or a prosthesis with the original cells. There are not many firms in Hong Kong that can do bioprinting,” Peggy Yuen, CEO of MakeOmnia, a 3D printing solutions firm in Hong Kong was quoted as saying to SCMP.

Earlier, police said the model had financial disputes running into tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars with her ex-husband and his family.

Six suspects, including Choi’s former husband, will appear in court for a pre-trial hearing on 31 July.