Burnt Body of Poker Pro Susie Zhao Found in Michigan

Professional poker player Susie Zhao has been found dead.

The charred remains of the 33-year-old were discovered in a park near Pontiac Lake on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan on July 13.

It took police more than a week to identify the badly burned remains, eventually piecing it together through fingerprints and a distinctive tattoo.

They have yet to determine the cause of death — or the motive.

The Beijing-born player, who was known as Susie Q on the pro circuit, had amassed more than $250k in career winnings, and police believe her profession may have had something to do with her killing.

“You have to determine whether or not this is a cover-up, or this may be some sort of retaliatory incident because of her profession,” said Detective Chris Hild of White Lake Township Police.

Zhao was last seen by her mother the night before at 5:30 p.m.; investigators believe she was murdered some time after midnight that night.

“We still are looking for anybody that may have seen or talked to Susie between Sunday at about 5:30 p.m. and early hours of Monday morning,” police said.

Born in China, she had moved to Michigan as a child and grew up there, before moving to LA for more than a decade where she was a regular in high-stakes games.

But according to friends, she had very recently moved back to her home town to be with her parents and “confront challenges in her personal life,” WXYZ reported.

“It’s hard to picture her having enemies,” former roommate Yuval Bronshtein told the broadcaster.

“Everybody loved her,” agreed friend Michelle Lagrou. “Nobody ever remembers her fighting with anybody ever, no conflict, no drama.”

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