Police identify burglary suspect found dead inside Missouri restaurant

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Columbia police have identified a man who was found dead last month inside a Chinese restaurant in Columbia.

Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KCRG TV

Police said Wednesday that 53-year-old Nam Hoang Le’s body was found Feb. 18 inside the ABC Chinese Cuisine restaurant.

Investigators determined Le apparently was trying to burglarize the restaurant while it was closed.

The Columbia Missourian reports the restaurant’s owner, Mingsun Wong, found the body near the business’ kitchen. He noticed holes in the ceiling and originally reported a structural collapse before finding Le’s body.

Le was a foreign national from Vietnam with a conviction for burglary in St. Louis in 2012.