A CCTV footage (left) captured socialite Abby Choi's moments before she disappeared at 12.29pm on Feb 21, 2023. - PHOTOS: DIMSUMDAILY.HK, XXABBYC/INSTAGRAM
HONG KONG, Feb 25 (The Straits Times/ANN): A manhunt is under way for the ex-husband of a Hong Kong socialite after her headless body was found in a house in a suburb.
Ms Abby Choi, a 28-year-old well-known model, was reported missing on Tuesday. And on Friday, her headless body was found in a village house in Tai Po, a suburb in Hong Kong.
Parts of her dismembered body were cooked, with some kept in the refrigerator, reported South China Morning Post.
Abby Choi went missing on Tuesday. - Photo: Instagram/xxabbyc
Local police also found human tissue in two pots of soup and minced human tissues scattered on the ground in the house.
Hong Kong police have arrested the parents and elder brother of Ms Choi’s ex-husband. They are still searching for her ex-husband, who is believed to be involved in the killing. Local media reports said he is known as Alex Kwong.
Ms Chois was last spotted in Fo Chun Road in Tai Po around 2.15pm on Tuesday. She was wearing a white top with long sleeves, white pants, white slippers and carrying a purple handbag. CCTV footage captured Ms Choi before she went missing.
On that day, Ms Choi was preparing to pick up her daughter, whom she shared with her ex-husband, according to local media that cited unnamed sources. Ms Choi had two children with her ex-husband.
A male suspect, dressed in a black top and shorts, was captured on CCTV footage holding a large white plastic box, according to local media reports. The suspect then loaded the box into a white seven-seater vehicle with the rear door open.
Ms Choi is said to weigh about 40kg and was 1.55m tall.
Her murder is believed to be linked to a dispute over HK$100 million (S$17 million), according to local media reports. An unknown person has also offered a reward of HK$1 million (S$388,000) for the arrest of the culprit, according to HK01.
At a press conference on Friday, Superintendent Alan Chung Nga-lun of the Kowloon West regional crime unit said the Kowloon Crime Squad has taken over the case and conducted a thorough examination of Ms Choi’s background.
One of the male suspects captured on CCTV footage carrying a plastic box to a 7-seater vehicle. - PHOTO: DIMSUMDAILY.HK
They have since interviewed a private driver who claimed to be the last person to see Ms Choi alive, and happened to be Mr Kwong’s brother.
As part of police investigations, they have also met Mr Kwong’s parents. Upon further investigation, it was found that Ms Choi had been involved in a financial dispute with Mr Kwong’s family.
Local news reports said that some individuals involved in this dispute were dissatisfied with Ms Choi’s management of certain properties worth tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars, which ultimately led to her murder.
Several persons of interest in the police investigation have provided misleading information in an attempt to obstruct the inquiry. However, the police were able to decipher and analyse these false reports, and ultimately uncovered a village house unit in Lung Mei Village, Tai Po.
This unit had been newly rented by Mr Kwong’s father earlier in the month.
Superintendent Chung said the detectives executed a warrant and forcibly entered the house. Upon searching the premises, they uncovered human body parts that had been stored in the refrigerator.
Authorities also discovered some of Ms Choi’s personal items, including her pink Hermes bag, identification cards and credit cards.
Based on the evidence, law enforcement officials have concluded that Ms Choi was a victim of homicide.
According to local media reports, Ms Choi continued to financially support Mr Kwong’s family, even after their divorce. However, suspicions have arisen that some individuals may have had their eyes on Ms Choi’s family fortune, which is valued at over HK$100 million.
The suspects have been taken into custody and will be charged with murder later.
In 2016, Ms Choi married her current husband, the son of a founder of TamJai Yunnan Mixian, a casual restaurant chain in Hong Kong with operations in mainland China. The chain was later acquired by Toridoll HK.
Hailed as a “style icon” in the recent issue of L’Officiel Monaco, Ms Choi has more than 80,000 followers on Instagram. She was frequently seen mingling with celebrities, and had attended haute couture shows during Paris Fashion Week. - The Straits Times/ANN
