The Taiwanese employer of Australian exchange student Alex Shorey has stated that she offered him a place to stay after he became sick, but he decided to be with another woman who is currently under investigation for allegedly poisoning him. Unverified reports in Taiwanese media suggest that a 45-year-old woman, referred to as Shorey’s “girlfriend,” is at the center of an attempted murder investigation.

Elly Chen, who employed Shorey as an English teacher for her online education businesses in February, described him as a 24-year-old from Toowoomba who was cheerful, sociable, and well-liked by parents and students. However, just a month later, he found himself in the intensive care unit (ICU), according to Chen’s account.

According to Chen, Shorey began experiencing symptoms of illness in late March. He complained of a loss of appetite, dizziness, and nosebleeds. Chen visited his apartment and discovered blood stains on the pillow and tissue. Concerned for his well-being, she urged him to seek medical attention, saying, “Alex, I think you need to go to the emergency room.”

The 42-year-old mother, Chen, accompanied Shorey to the hospital, where he received treatment for suspected food poisoning and was subsequently discharged. Concerned for his well-being, Chen took him back to his residence and stayed with him overnight to assist in his recovery.

Chen extended her offer to take Shorey to her own home to care for him, but he declined and expressed his intention to stay with a friend instead.

Chen maintained communication with Shorey through text messages but hasn’t seen him in person since March 27.

During the following weeks, Shorey informed Chen that his health was progressively declining to the extent that he could no longer walk.

In late April, news surfaced that Shorey was in a critical condition at Taipei Medical University Hospital. His family in Queensland initiated a GoFundMe campaign to gather funds for his medical evacuation to Brisbane.

Chen disclosed that Shorey had informed her that medical professionals had diagnosed him with rat poison poisoning. She quoted his text message, saying, “‘It’s rat poison. It’s superwarfarin.’”

Chen clarified that she is not considered a suspect in the case and shared that the police have reached out to her. They have scheduled an interview with her for Thursday, likely due to the fact that she was the one who initially took Shorey to the hospital. She mentioned, “They want to find me because I’m the first one to send him to the hospital.”

Chen emphasized that she never met Shorey’s female friend and did not come across any rat poison during her stay at his apartment.

Unverified reports in Taiwan suggest that the unnamed woman has confessed to preparing beverages spiked with rat poison.

According to reports, the woman allegedly admitted to lacing a drink with rat poison with the intention of taking her own life, and Shorey consumed it accidentally. However, investigators have raised suspicions due to inconsistencies in her statements, leading them to suspect that she intentionally poisoned Shorey to prevent him from leaving Taiwan. These details were cited by Taiwan News, which referred to a Chinese-language news outlet called SETN.

After a successful crowdfunding campaign, Shorey was flown to Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital, where he has been recuperating. Medical Rescue Australia facilitated his transfer.