The ex-husband and two former in-laws of a woman in Hong Kong have been charged with her murder, after police revealed they had found more body parts during a weekend search.
Abby Choi’s ex-husband, Alex Kwong Kong-chi, his father and his brother were formally charged with murder on Sunday. Kwong’s mother was charged with perverting the course of justice.
Police also said they had arrested a fourth person and added a fifth to the list of suspects involved in the murder of 28-year-old Choi, whose partial remains were discovered inside a fridge on Friday.
The announcement came after police conducted a search at a house in a rural village near the town of Tai Po and a cemetery in Tseung Kwan O, where more body parts suspected to belong to Choi were discovered. A skull, hair and several ribs were found in a large pot inside the house. The contents were taken for forensic testing to determine if they belonged to Choi. The officer said there was a small hole at the back of the skull, which they believed was evidence of a “fatal attack” on the victim.
Photograph: Jérôme Favre/EPA
Police believe she was attacked inside a van, which had been taken in as evidence, and then taken inside the house.
Kwong was arrested at a Hong Kong pier on Saturday after what police described as a failed attempt to flee by speedboat. He was allegedly carrying HK$500,000 (£53,000) and about $4m worth of luxury watches.
Choi, the mother of two young children, was well-known as a model and social media influencer, with more than 100,000 followers. Police have told media that Choi had financial disputes over tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars with Kwong and his family.
Supt Alan Chung said the investigation had been hampered by the uncooperativeness of the arrested suspects.
“We want to find out as much as we can, not just to convict the murderers, but to give an answer to the deceased’s family, and return justice to the deceased,” Chung said.
Choi’s torso and hands are still missing. Other limbs suspected to belong to Choi were earlier found in a refrigerator in a Lung Mei Tsuen apartment, about 10km from the Tai Po house.
“We’re still working on many clues,” Cheung said. “When we have any other clues we will do a thorough search again to find the torso and other missing parts of the body.”
The two children of Choi and Kwong were being cared for by Choi’s mother, police said.
Judge Peony Wong denied bail for the accused on Monday and adjourned the case until May, pending further investigations.
