Finding proof: Police excavating a landfill during the search for Choi’s missing body parts in Hong Kong. — Reuters
Hong Kong police began searching a landfill for evidence related to the grisly killing of model Abby Choi, whose dismembered body parts were found in a refrigerator and pots.
Ex-husband Alex Kwong, his father Kwong Kau and his brother Anthony Kwong were charged with murder after police found her remains in a house rented by Kau in a suburban part of Hong Kong near the border with mainland China. Alex’s mother, Jenny Li, faces one count of perverting the course of justice. All four were detained without bail.
They have not yet entered their pleas, and it does not appear that their lawyers have commented on the case to the media. The hearing was adjourned until May.
More than 100 officers wearing protective gear went to North East New Territories Landfill in Ta Kwu Ling yesterday morning, about a 15-minute drive from mainland China, to search for the missing body parts with excavators and shovels. Police had said earlier they were still looking for her hands and torso.
ALSO READ: Police find missing head of dismembered Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi in soup pot
“The suspects threw away several bags of important evidence in the morning of Feb 22. They may be some human body parts or they could be the clothes and the phone of the victim, or even the weapons,” Supt Alan Chung told reporters.
Chung said they could not find anything substantial yet, other than bones, which police could not ascertain if they belonged to a human or animals.
Choi’s family, dressed in black, gathered near the house where her body parts were found to pay respects. They earlier visited a mortuary to identify her. Some mourners were emotional but the family did not appear to have responded to reporters’ questions.
Alex appeared in another court yesterday for a previous theft case, where he jumped bail.
Choi, who had more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, disappeared Feb 21, according to a report filed later with the Hong Kong Police. Her last post was Feb 19, featuring a photo shoot she had done with fashion magazine L’Officiel Monaco.
Choi had financial disputes involving tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars with her ex-husband and his family, police said, adding that “some people” were unhappy with how Choi handled her finances.
The gruesome killing has transfixed many in Hong Kong and across the border in mainland China, since the self-governed southern Chinese city has a very low level of violent crime.
Choi’s friend Bernard Cheng earlier said he initially thought she had been kidnapped.
ALSO READ: What we know about the luxury apartment linked to Abby Choi’s murder probe
“I haven’t imagined a person who’s so good, so full of love, so innocent, a person who doesn’t do anything bad will be killed like this,” he said. “My heart is still heavy. I can’t sleep well.”
Cheng said Choi had four children, aged between three and 10. Alex was the father of the older two, who are being taken care of by Choi’s mother. Choi had remarried to Chris Tam, father of the younger children, who are staying with his family.
Choi had good relationships with her family, including her in-laws, Cheng said, and would travel with the families of her current and former husbands together. — AP
