Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi’s headless, dismembered body was found in village house in Tai Po, Hong Kong. PHOTO: XXABBYC/INSTAGRAM, EPA-EFE via The Straits Times/Asia News Network
HONG KONG — Police have found the missing head of Hong Kong socialite and influencer Abby Choi in one of two big pots containing soup and human remains, days after her grisly murder was discovered.
Meanwhile, another suspect, the lover of Ms Choi’s former father-in-law, has been arrested, bringing the total number of suspects in connection with the case to five.
In a news briefing late on Sunday, police investigators confirmed that they found a head and ribs inside one of two large pots they retrieved on Friday from inside a house in Hong Kong’s rural Tai Po district where she was said to have been butchered.
The head and ribs are believed to belong to Ms Choi, they said, but DNA tests are needed to confirm it.
The two pots were filled almost to the brim with soup and minced meat believed to be human remains. There were also carrots and green radish in them.
The pots were taken to the mortuary on Saturday. On Sunday, forensic experts began examining the contents. That was when they discovered the head and ribs, and it appeared that someone had tried to bash the head, according to one media report.
Police were continuing the search for body parts that were still missing, including her hands and torso.
Portions of the 28-year-old’s body – her legs were recovered from a refrigerator – were found on Friday in the Tai Po house. A meat slicer, an electric saw, a hammer, face shields and black raincoats were also recovered at the scene.
Ms Choi’s former husband Alex Kwong, 28, was arrested on Saturday, but has not been charged yet. He was reported to have been taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital after complaining of feeling unwell.
He was caught at the Tung Chung pier on Lantau Island as he was trying to flee, purportedly with HK$4.5 million (S$774,000) worth of cash and luxury watches.
His father and elder brother were charged with murder. His 63-year-old mother was also arrested and charged with obstructing the case. They are set to appear in a local court on Monday.
Police also said on Sunday they arrested another suspect, a 47-year-old woman surnamed Ng. She was the lover of Ms Choi’s former father-in-law and was accused of renting with him the ground floor flat of the village house. It was not yet known if Ng was aware of the murder. She was also suspected of helping Kwong evade police.
Ng – a masseuse who had been in a relationship with Kwong’s father for about six months – was also suspected of having rented a luxury flat in the Arch Sky Tower development in West Kowloon to hide the younger son.
Ms Choi disappeared on Tuesday and was last seen in the Tai Po district where she was found, police said.
About 100 elite divers and police officers were seen on Saturday combing a cemetery where Ms Choi’s former father-in-law and brother-in-law were seen on Wednesday. They had drones and search dogs with them.
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