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Remembering Maria Ann Hsiao

By Avy Mallik

A bright, gentle person will be missed by all who knew her. On June 10, 2001, Maria Hsiao, a student at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, was fatally shot outside a popular nightclub. Her aspirations may never be fulfilled, but she will be forever remembered.

“Maria was a diligent student with dreams and hopes,” reminisced Pastor Steve Quen, who conducts services at the Chinese Bible Church in San Leandro, and was also Hsiao’s uncle.

“She wanted to work for a movie production studio, like DreamWorks. She planned to win an Oscar for special effects,” he said.

Hsiao, the third oldest sibling in a large family, was a family-oriented person. “For her parents’ 25th marriage anniversary,” added Pastor Quen, “Maria, along with her brothers and sisters, threw a celebratory banquet. They also went on a family cruise that they organized.”

Hsiao had a natural flair for art and used her talent to design posters for the church. “She would help me with my PowerPoint presentations,” said Quen, “She told me that she wanted to use her artistic talent to help God. Maria had a personal relation with Jesus Christ.” Hsiao felt very connected to the church and volunteered to become the secretary for the Collegian Club for Christ.

Hsiao was only 21 when her life was tragically cut short. She was a freshman, set to graduate from college in spring of 2003. “She enjoyed reading and playing the piano,” remembered Quen, “She was gentle and caring. Everybody liked Maria. She was very personable, very warm, a real blessing to everyone.”

Becky, a staff member in the Chinese Bible Church, who worked alongside with Maria, added, “Everybody knew her at a personal level, even if they didn’t know her at all. Maria volunteered for the church and told me how much she loved what she was doing. She was everything everybody says she was. Maria was a wonderful individual.”

The homicide still remains a mystery to the Palo Alto Police Department. On Saturday night, June 9, Hsiao, her elder sister, and three friends, went out to eat dinner at Miyake Restaurant, a popular sushi destination in Palo Alto. They then agreed to go dancing with a couple of men that they had met at the eatery. Around 12:20 a.m., as they were leaving Q nightclub, a loud pop was heard. The club-goers realized this to be a gunshot, and several of them ducked. Hsiao was shot in the head. Even though there were many people standing nearby, no one noticed the gunman. Hsiao was given CPR on the scene, and taken to the Stanford University Hospital, where she later died. The club’s doormen tried to gather all the people near the crime scene and make them return to the club, but it is likely that several potential witnesses fled the scene. The manager for Q nightclub said that no one in the club had any idea what had happened outside.

Palo Alto detective Dan Ryan voiced the uncertainties that plague this case: “As of now, we have no motives or suspects. We have been re-interviewing the witnesses from the club, and are looking for possible leads.”

Detective Ryan also stated that they have not come across any legitimate tips. “We are not sure whether the shooting was intentional or accidental. But it is quite probable that Maria simply got in the way between the killer and the intended target,” Ryan said.

Contact the anonymous Palo Alto Police tip line at 650-329-2190 with any information. There is a $25,000 reward for anyone who helps the police solve the case.