Man Arrested After Woman Was Kidnapped, Stripped Naked and Brutally Murdered with Her Body Left in Burnt-Out Car By Becca Longmire

A man was arrested and charged in relation to the April 2025 kidnapping and murder of a 45-year-old woman whose body was left inside a burnt-out car.

On Thursday, Aug. 28, The Anh Nguyen, 29, was arrested following the death of Thi Kim Tran, 45, a New South Wales (NSW) Police Force spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE via email. He appeared before Bankstown Local Court the following day.

A video of the man’s arrest was shared by the police department on Facebook.

The arrest came after the victim was taken from her home in the suburb of Bankstown in Sydney’s south west on April 17, NSW Police Force said in a news release. Officers were called to the residence at around 10:30 p.m. local time on the day of the murder following reports of a kidnapping.

Police arrived at the scene and “were told a group of unknown people had forced their way into a home before allegedly kidnapping a 45-year-old woman.”

“During the incident police were told the alleged kidnappers — who were armed with a firearm — assaulted an eight-year-old boy with a baseball bat before forcing the woman into an SUV,” officials said, adding that the boy was “treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics for head injuries before being taken to hospital for further treatment.”

A 15-year-old boy was also present at the time, though he was not physically injured.

“11:30 p.m. the same day, emergency services were called to Welfare Avenue in Beverley Hills, following reports of a car fire,” police reported, adding that “the vehicle was destroyed” and Tran’s body was found inside.

Nguyen was arrested at a unit in Bankstown on Thursday, before being taken to Bankstown Police Station, police said, confirming the suspect had been charged with murder and wound person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

“Inquiries established the woman and children were likely targeted as a result of her partner’s involvement with an Organised Criminal Network (OCN) based in Victoria,” the police release noted.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), police alleged the suspect had been tasked with solving a dispute over stolen drugs. 

Investigations confirmed the victim had been shot dead, per the outlet. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Ms. Tran had also been stripped naked in front of the two children before her death.

Homicide Squad Commander Joe Doueihi told reporters on Friday that Mr. Nguyen did not shoot the victim, but alleged that he did play a part in her death, according to the ABC.

“He [allegedly] did this by meeting the offenders beforehand, [traveling] in convoy with the offenders to the victim’s residence,” Doueihi said, per the outlet. “Parking his car in the driveway and knocking on the front door with the three offenders standing behind him armed with a firearm, a baseball bat and with their faces covered.”

“He stepped aside and allowed those offenders to seriously assault that child and then to kidnap and strip the woman naked in the street,” the officer told reporters of the suspect arrested, per the Sydney Morning Herald.

Detectives discovered Nguyen was allegedly a “close associate” of Tran’s husband, the ABC stated, adding that they were linked to a Victorian drug cartel.

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Detectives have said that the victim was innocent and unaware of her husband’s alleged criminal activity, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The young boy who was injured suffered extensive, possibly lasting injuries that left him in a coma for days.

The older boy suffers from the psychological distress of what he witnessed.

Nguyen did not apply for bail in Bankstown Local Court on Friday, and he’s now set to appear in Burwood Local Court on Nov. 12, the Sydney Morning Herald noted. 

The suspect’s lawyer, Julie Nguyen, has said her client intends to plead not guilty to the charges he’s facing, the outlet reported.

Bankstown Local Court didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information. PEOPLE has also contacted the law firm Julie Nguyen works at for comment.