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A man has been arrested in California following the discovery of body parts believed to belong to his wife.
Samuel Bond Haskell IV, 35, was arrested on Wednesday at a mall in Topanga and was later charged with the murder of his wife, Mei Haskell. Detectives believe he killed her and may have also killed his in-laws, who are currently missing. Haskell is being held on a $2 million bail.
A torso was discovered stuffed in a duffel bag and thrown in a trash bin near Ventura Boulevard and Rubio Avenue—about five miles away from Haskell's home. Forensic teams are yet to confirm if the body part found on Wednesday is that of his wife.
Who Is Samuel Bond Haskell IV?
Haskell is the son of top Hollywood executive and Emmy award winner Sam Haskell III, the former executive vice president and worldwide head of television at the William Morris Agency Board of Directors. His father is also the president of Magnolia Hill Productions, the company behind several Dolly Parton specials—including Dolly Parton's Magic Mountain Christmas and Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors.
Haskell Jr. lived with his wife, Mei, and her parents, Yanxiang Wang, 64, and Gaoshen Li, 71, in a single-story home in the 4100 block of Coldstream Terrace in Tarzana. The suspect and his wife have three children, who were at school on Wednesday.
Haskell was arrested and charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon in December 2008, according to the LA Times. He pleaded no contest to battery, and in 2010 was placed on three years probation.
What Do We Know About the Investigation?
The unsettling sequence of events unfolded on Tuesday evening when a witness reported observing what appeared to be body parts in bags outside Haskell's Tarzana residence. Police were alerted to the scene, but when they arrived they found that the bags had already been removed.
On Wednesday morning, at approximately 6 a.m., a person who was searching for recyclables found the dismembered torso inside in a plastic bag tossed in an Encino strip mall dumpster. Police investigated security camera footage in the vicinity and found a link between the remains and those reported at Haskell's home residence. Detectives then found blood and other evidence consistent with a homicide and dismemberment inside the suspect's home, according to the LA Times.
Police said two vehicles connected to Haskell are also missing and are being sought—a white Volkswagen Tiguan, license plate number 9ANC890; and a white 2014 Nissan Pathfinder, license plate number 7FRM190, according to a statement made by police on Thursday.
Wang and Li remain unaccounted for, with LAPD Det. Efren Gutierrez informing reporters on Wednesday evening that efforts to reach them have been unsuccessful so far, and police have asked for the public's assistance in locating them.
He said: "They would normally be home in these hours, and attempts have been made to contact them by phone, by cellphone and no answer. And the same with Mei. She is unaccounted for."
Newsweek has contacted the LAPD for an update on the investigation via email.
About the writer
Aliss Higham is a Newsweek reporter based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her focus is reporting on Social Security, other government benefits ... Read more