What to Know
- A woman's torso was discovered in a bag in a trash bin in Encino early Wednesday. Investigators said a video linked the disturbing discovery to a home in Tarzana.
- Sam Haskell, 35, was arrested at a mall in Topanga on Wednesday on suspicion of murder in connection with the investigation.
- Haskell's wife and her parents are unaccounted for at this time. It is unclear if either family member is the decedent.
Detectives are searching for a San Fernando Valley woman and her parents after a partially dismembered woman's body was discovered in a trash bag in a bin in Encino, leading to the discovery of a man in Tarzana, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
LAPD officers closed off a section of Clearstream Terrace in Tarzana as evidence was collected from inside a home, in which neighbors said a man, a woman and their three children had been living. Multiple law enforcement sources told NBC4’s I-Team they believe the woman whose remains were found in Encino had been murdered inside the Tarzana home.
Investigators and technicians from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office were sent to the house after authorities received a call Tuesday of a suspicious bag that contained possible human remains, according to LAPD Detective Efren Gutierrez. At the home, investigators found what Gutierrez described as "blood evidence and other items."
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Video evidence from the scene of the disturbing discovery in Encino led law enforcement to Tarzana, Gutierrez said. The investigation led to the arrest of 35-year-old Sam Haskell, who was booked on suspicion of murder. Haskell was arrested Wednesday at a mall in Topanga.
As a result of the investigation, authorities are searching for three people related to Haskell who are unaccounted for. Gutierrez said law enforcement has not been able to contact the suspect's wife and her parents. Those who are missing were identified as:
- Mei Haskell;
- Gaoshan Li, age 72. He is described as 5-foot-6-inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds.
- YanXiang Wang, age 64. She is described as 5-foot-4-inches tall and weighs approximately 135 pounds.
The woman’s remains were discovered around 6 a.m. Wednesday by a person rummaging through trash bins in the parking lot of a commercial building near Rubio Avenue and Ventura Boulevard. The deceased has not been identified, Gutierrez said.
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“When the officers responded they discovered a dismembered female wrapped in a plastic bag. It was just outside the dumpster, they confirmed that it was human remains,” Gutierrez said. He later specified that a torso was discovered in the bag.
Police said the three elementary-aged children who live in the home on Clearstream were safe and under the custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.
