Police arrest Los Angeles man in connection with dismembered body, missing wife and in-laws

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police have arrested a Los Angeles man in connection with the discovery of the torso of a dismembered female body and the disappearance of his wife and her live-in parents.

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed Saturday the arrest of 35-year-old Samuel Haskell. He has been jailed on suspicion of murder while police attempt to identify the torso, which was found within a bag in a dumpster on Wednesday.

The arrest was supported by evidence from a search of Haskell’s home in the Tarzana area where he lived with his wife, in-laws and three children, police said. Haskell’s 37-year-old wife, Mei Li Haskell, has gone missing along with her parents. The children have been located and are being cared for by relatives, police said.

Police did not know if Haskell had an attorney who could speak on his behalf, and there were no court files immediately available online to indicate if he had hired an attorney or been assigned a public defender. Family members could not immediately be reached.

Haskell was being held in lieu of $2 million bail, with a court appearance scheduled for Monday. Multiple media outlets have identified Haskell as the son and namesake of a former executive at a prominent Hollywood talent agency.

Police identified Mei Li Haskell’s parents as Gaoshan Li, 71, and Yanxiang Wang, 64.