[ad_1] A man whose wife and in-laws are missing has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a dismembered torso was discovered in a bin at a shop
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A man whose wife and in-laws are missing has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a dismembered torso was discovered in a bin at a shopping centre.
Samuel Haskell Jr, 35, was arrested on one count of murder on Wednesday, roughly four hours after a homeless person scavenging for recyclables stumbled on the torso.
Mr Haskell is the son of Hollywood television producer Samuel Haskell Snr.
“A dismembered female wrapped in a plastic bag. It was just outside the dumpster,” LAPD Detective Efren Gutierrez told reporters.
Haskell’s wife, Mei Haskell, and her parents — mother Yanxiang Wang and father Gaoshen Li – were already reported missing before the gruesome find, officials said.
Authorities are still working to identify the torso, but believe it is Haskell’s wife. Her parents are still missing.
“If a murder suspect is dismembering a body, it’s to delay identification,” LAPD homicide Detective Efren Guttierez said via the New York Post.
The night before the torso was discovered, someone reported seeing a body in a black bag near Haskell’s home but when officers arrived the bag was gone, according to the outlet.
About 6:15am on Wednesday, the homeless person found the human remains, which had been placed inside a duffel bag and tossed into a dumpster about five miles from the Coldstream Terrace home.
Investigators said there were no obvious signs of identification like tattoos on the torso, which they don’t believe was there for more than a couple of days.
The commercial area includes two banks, a hair salon and a family-style restaurant.
People who were in the area during the discovery were shocked to hear about the remains.
“I think it was kind of weird to drive up and be blocked off along the boulevard and into the little centre over here and to find out that there were body parts there … in Encino!” one resident told ABC 7.
“We’ve had a lot of crime in Encino over the last couple of months,” the person added.
Investigators are still seeking tips and hoped surveillance video will shed more light in the probe.
Haskell is being held on $2 million bail at the Valley Jail in Van Nuys.
– with the New York Post
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