The missing head of a Hong Kong model was recently found in a soup pot after being boiled until only the skull remained, according to police.
Abby Choi, the model featured in publications such as Elle, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar, went missing Tuesday, and several people have been charged in the case, the New York Post reported Monday:
On Sunday, her ex-husband, Alex Kwong, his brother, and father, were reportedly charged with murder, while the woman’s ex-mother-in-law was charged with obstruction.
According to the Post, the four individuals were denied bail.
During their investigation, officials also discovered several ribs and hair they believe belonged to Choi in a stainless steel pot, CNN reported, adding her torso and hands are still missing:
It follows a police investigation that began Wednesday after Choi, 28, was reported missing. Two days later, parts of her body were found at a house in the city’s Tai Po district, police said. A meat slicer, an electric saw, and some clothing were also found at the home, police said.
Law enforcement reportedly found a pair of woman’s legs tucked inside a refrigerator, along with the two pots holding human tissue.
The young woman also reportedly suffered a large hole in her skull near her ear.
“When we found the two pots of soup at the scene, one of the pots measuring 50cm [20 inches] deep and 40cm [16 inches] in diameter, was almost full and covered with thick fat, some green radishes and carrots and meat believed to be human flesh,” police superintendent Alan Chung explained.
Video footage shows police at the residence where the body parts were found, and Chung said officers also found some of the victim’s property, such as an identity card and credit card:
On what appears to be her Instagram account, the most recent post from February 15 is an image of Choi on the cover of L’Officiel Monaco:
Meanwhile, a 47-year-old woman was the fifth person taken into custody on Sunday regarding the case, per CNN.
According to law enforcement, the young woman’s killing was “premeditated,” adding the male suspects allegedly committed the murder because Choi was about to sell a luxury property in the Kadoorie Hill area.
“Choi had funded the property’s purchase but registered the land under the name of her former father-in-law to save stamp duty. Her ex-husband’s family has reportedly been living on the property,” the Post article said.
Officials say they believe the young woman’s ex-brother-in-law offered to take her to pick up her child at school but knocked her out once she got into the car, then transported her to the flat where she was reportedly killed.
The four relatives charged in the case are scheduled to appear in court again in early May.