The ex-husband and former in-laws of Abby Choi have been charged with her murder after her head was found in a soup pot and her legs were discovered in a refrigerator, officials said.
Police in hazmat suits combed through a Hong Kong landfill Tuesday searching for the hands and torso of dismembered model Abby Choi, whose head was discovered Sunday in a soup pot, authorities said.
"The suspects threw away several bags of important evidence in the morning of Feb. 22," Police Superintendent Alan Chung told reporters. "They may be some human body parts or they could be the clothes and the phone of the victim, or even the weapons."
Choi's ex-husband and her former in-laws have been arrested in connection with her grisly death.
On Monday, ex-husband Alex Kwong, 28, his brother Anthony, 31, and their father, Kwong Kau, 65, were charged with murder. Alex Kwong’s mother, Jenny Li, 63, was charged with perverting the course of justice. All are being held without bail.
Choi, 28, was a popular social media influencer and model. The mother of four was reported missing last Wednesday, and her disappearance captivated Hong Kong. That interest peaked after grisly details began emerging about her death and dismemberment.
On social media sites, Choi posted photos of herself in exotic locales wearing flowing gowns and designer accessories. As news spread of her killing, her Instagram followers jumped from 119,000 to 131,000.
Parts of her body were found over the weekend at a house in the city’s rural Tai Po district, police said. It was allegedly recently rented by her former family members. A meat grinder and electric saw were also discovered, along with minced human flesh, police said.
Her legs were found in a refrigerator and her head was discovered in a stainless steel pot, covered in vegetables, authorities said.
The flat had been transformed into a killing factory, police said.
"The flat was arranged meticulously by cold-blooded killers," Chung said Saturday.
"Tools that are used to dismember human bodies were found in the flat, including meat grinders, chainsaws, long raincoats, gloves, and masks," he told reporters.
"The suspects covered the walls of the flat with a sail, and they put on face shields and raincoats so that they would not get bloodstained by dismembering the body," Chung said.
Choi had remained close with her ex-husband and his family after she and Alex Kwong divorced at least six years ago, authorities said. But a financial dispute involving millions of Hong Kong dollars had created a rift between Choi and her alleged killers, with Choi planning to sell a luxury apartment she had purchased for the family, police said.
The suspects planned her murder for weeks, and rented the suburban apartment to cut up her body, police said. Witnesses reported seeing people carrying garbage bags out of the flat, authorities said, and that prompted investigators to search a nearby dump on Tuesday.
The woman's torso, arms and hands are still missing, police said.
The suspects have not entered pleas, and their next court hearing is scheduled for May 8.
