Cammeray yacht deaths: Peter Ray mysteriously found dead on luxury $250,000 vessel alongside his brothel madam lover Lixin Wang
- Man found dead on boat next to brothel woman identified
- Police are investigating how the couple died without injuries
- Know more? Email candace.sutton@mailonline.com
- READ MORE: Woman killed in late night lawnmower horror
A dead man found on a boat next to the body of a brothel keeper has been identified as a Sydney trafficker.
The lifeless bodies of Peter Ray, 56, and his on-again, off-again lover Lixin Wang, in her 60s, were found in the cabin of his boat, moored at Cammeray on Sydney’s Lower North Shore, around 9pm on Wednesday.
Mr Ray was a qualified plumber, while Ms Wang is listed as a massage therapist from Hunters Hill. She is also the registered owner of a brothel in the eastern suburbs.
A friend of Mr Ray alerted police after the pair had not been heard from since Monday and he plunged the boat into darkness.
Firefighters initially entered the 17-metre yacht, named Taloha, wearing breathing apparatus due to concerns about possible harmful gases on board.
Shortly afterwards, police boarded the boat and found a number of items of interest, including illegal drugs, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The couple were reportedly not injured, but police will investigate a gas leak.
Sydney plumber Peter Ray (pictured) has been identified as the man found dead next to a brothel with women on his luxury yacht moored in Cammeray on Wednesday
Mr Ray was preparing to enter Taloha for the Airlie Beach Race Week, which starts next Thursday. He had been working on the boat as a ‘love project’ for the past 18 months.
He bought the boat in 2022 for $250,000.
His ex-wife Andrea remembers Mr. Ray as a devoted father of three children, ages 29, 27 and 19.
She said he planned to move to Queensland next Wednesday to ‘start again’ and that he had already prepared the boat for the journey.
Detective Inspector Siobhan Munro said police were still investigating whether “a criminal offence was involved” in the “hours-long” investigation.
“Nothing has been ruled out at this point,” she said.
“We don’t know what happened. We’re still investigating.”
A friend of Mr Ray and his on-again, off-again lover, Lixin Wang, were found on his boat – Taloha (pictured) – after the pair had not been heard from since Monday
The couple reportedly suffered no physical injuries, but a gas leak is one of the areas police will investigate (pictured are police at the scene)
According to a boating expert who knows Taloha personally, the fumes concern is the result of a gas leak from the cooking equipment in the galley, or carbon monoxide from the engine or a heater.
“Every ship needs a gas certificate which has to be renewed every 10 years,” he said.
‘(A gas leak) is not unheard of. It has happened before and [especially] when the boat was completely closed because it was cold. What a terrible tragedy.’
A number of items found on the boat were taken by police for forensic examination. The two bodies were then carried off the ship.
An autopsy will be performed in the coming days to confirm the identity of the man and woman and determine the cause of death.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.