“The body parts that we found were inside the refrigerator. There are two legs belonging to a female,” he said. “We are still looking for the head, the torso and hands, which we believed were disposed of.”
The flat had been rented by the victim’s former father-in-law, and instead of a furnished home, officers found a place starkly bare of furniture, with just a couch and a table inside.
The two bedrooms were also empty. In addition to the meat grinder, electric saw and two pots of soup containing human tissue, police found two types of chopper, a hammer, face shields, black raincoats and a purple handbag that belonged to Choi.
“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.
The superintendent said police launched their investigation after receiving a report Choi was missing on Tuesday and they contacted the brother and parents of Choi’s ex-husband.
But the investigation was hindered by false and misleading statements made to officers by all three, aged 31 to 65, he said.
Timeline of Hong Kong model Abby Choi’s murder
“They created plenty of lies and smokescreens to mislead us,” Chung said, adding the force had wasted valuable time checking surveillance cameras in an attempt to confirm their accounts.
An insider told the Post police suspected that before Choi went missing, her ex-brother-in-law, who served as her chauffeur, drove to her home in the exclusive Kadoorie Hill in Ho Man Tin to meet her. The two were supposed to go to pick up the daughter she had with her ex-husband.
The woman was reported missing after she did not collect the child. Choi also had a son with her former husband, Chung said.
The property in Lung Mei Tsuen was cordoned off as detectives and forensic experts examined the scene in the afternoon, while by nightfall, dozens of officers from the Police Tactical Unit were combing the village for clues.
At 11.27pm, a tow truck took away a white seven-seater vehicle from the crime scene, while six blue boxes were piled outside the ground-floor flat, each one numbered.
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The gruesome history of killing and dismemberment in Hong Kong before latest murder of young model
The gruesome history of killing and dismemberment in Hong Kong before latest murder of young model
About 20 police officers were seen entering and exiting the residence, although black curtains on the windows blocked any view inside.
Police said Choi was wearing a white T-shirt, white trousers and white slippers when last seen. She was also carrying a purple handbag. She was reported to be 1.55 metres tall (5 feet) and weighed about 40kg (88lbs).
Hong Kong court grants bail to seventh suspect linked to murder of model Abby Choi
Choi was said to be the daughter-in-law of a founder of TamJai Yunnan Mixian, which was later acquired by Tam Jai International.
The group on Friday night said it was deeply saddened by the news, but declined to comment further as it was not connected to the incident.
Choi, who had more than 80,000 Instagram followers, appeared on the cover of fashion magazine L’Officiel earlier this month.
The magazine said Choi had carved out a name for herself as one of the most sought-after influencers in the industry.
It praised her eye for style and ability to mix and match pieces in unexpected ways, earning her fans all over the world.
The model said in an interview with the magazine that she was someone “who keeps absorbing inspiration and always tries new styles. Sometimes I also try to dress up more extravagant, by … combining different looks”.
Police handled 30 murder reports last year, up 30 per cent from 23 cases in 2021. The force said half of the 2022 caseload involved family members and that all 30 cases were solved.
Lung Mei Tsuen is a seaside community set against the backdrop of the Pat Sin Leng mountains.
The area is a popular choice for locals seeking a day away from the bustle of the city centre to go biking, hiking or meet friends for a barbecue. On weekends, its streets are often crowded with families and couples, drawn by the alfresco dining.
The murder is one of the most shocking since May 2013, when Henry Chau Hoi-leung took part in the killing of his parents, a case that inspired the 2022 movie The Sparring Partner.
The heads of the couple were found in the fridge, while police recovered parts of three arms and four legs around the flat. Chau was found guilty on two counts of murder and jailed for life in 2015.
In a brutal killing in May 1999 that became known as the “Hello Kitty Murder”, a severed head was found stuffed inside a doll of the popular Japanese cartoon character.
The victim, 23-year-old nightclub hostess Fan Man-yee, had been kidnapped by three triads and was held in a flat in Tsim Sha Tsui then tortured for more than a month before her death.
The three men were sentenced to life imprisonment for manslaughter, but one had his sentence reduced to 18 years following a retrial.
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