A Miss World contestant who was missing for an entire year has been discovered working at a casino after it was thought that she was kidnapped.
It has been claimed by social media users that Athena Liya, whose real name is Gong Li Mei, has been found.
The 29-year-old was seen working at Cambodia’s Golden Shell Casino, with people recognising her by her distinct facial features.
READ MORE: Terrifying moment mum holding baby RUNS from deranged monkey
As the second runner-up of Miss World Macau 2021, the social media star is known for her striking looks.
Some have speculated that she has undergone plastic surgeries on her face and body to disguise her identity, however she is still recognisable.
Athena, who is from China, made headlines last year after news of her mysterious disappearance had broken.
On 23 April 2023, she uploaded what would be her final video on her social media.
She had gone on a trip to the Philippines, and after this date, her family lost all contact with her.
After a short time passed, Athena’s best friend, named Li, and also Li’s mother, became a hot topic in the case.
An image was released online, showing a screenshot of a conversation between Athena and the mother of her best friend.
Li’s mother revealed that her daughter had broken up with her boyfriend, and that she had wanted to go on a trip.
A conversation between Athena and Li then followed, with Li telling her friend that she wanted to visit the Philippines.
At the last minute, Li had told Athena that she had something that she needed to do at home, and urged her to board the plane to the island without her.
After uploading her final video online in April, it was found that her mobile phone had been permanently disabled in June.
On 22 June, Athena’s best friend Li, had logged out of all of her own social media accounts, as reported by Need To Know.
The disappearance sparked a frenzy of speculation, especially when a video clip surfaced online.
In the clip, a woman showed her bruises and injuries after being badly beaten which triggered some to believe it was Athena.
Another rumour was that a family paid a ransom for her in the amount of 800,000 yuan (87,436 gbp).
The authorities, the Chamber of Commerce in Chaoshan, denied that the woman in the images shared was her.
They did however, confirm that she had indeed been kidnapped, with her last known location being in the Philippines.
Authorities stated that they were working on a plan to rescue her, however nothing further has been said of the social media beauty until now, one year on.
It is thought that she was tricked by her close friend so that she could be sold to a group of local influential people in Southeast Asia, however this has not been confirmed.
After she was sighted in the casino, it is believed that she is being forced to work at that service facility, and that she is probably being controlled.
READ MORE: Labourer lucky-to-be-alive after huge blade from machine flies off and gets embedded in face
