Seven people have now been arrested in the grisly dismemberment of model and social influencer Abby Choi, whose body parts were found in a soup pot and a refrigerator.
The number of people arrested in connection with the grisly dismemberment of Hong Kong model and influencer Abby Choi grew to seven this week when a 29-year-old woman was taken into custody after she fled to mainland China to avoid prosecution, authorities said.
Police said the woman, who was not named, was handed over to Hong Kong authorities at a border check point in Shenzhen, which links the China city to the quasi-independent Hong Kong.
Choi’s ex-husband, Alex Kwong, 28, his brother, Anthony Kwong, 31, and their father Kwong Kau, 65, have already been charged with murder. Kwong’s mother Jenny Li, 63, has been charged with perverting the course of justice. All have been denied bail and have not entered pleas, authorities said.
The 28-year-old socialite and model was reported missing Feb. 22. Over the following days, her severed legs were found in a refrigerator, and her head and ribs were found in a soup pot covered with vegetables, authorities said. The horrific discoveries occurred in an apartment on the outskirts of Hong Kong that had been rented by one of her former in-laws, police said.
The flat had been converted to a killing room, authorities said, with plastic sheeting to contain blood spattering, a meat grinder and saws.
"Tools that are used to dismember human bodies were found in the flat, including meat grinders, chainsaws, long raincoats, gloves and masks," Police Superintendent Alan Chung told reporters at the time.
Choi and her ex-husband had remained close after their divorce several years ago, and the popular model also had ties to her former in-laws, police said. Choi, a mother of four, had recently been arguing with her former family members over money, and her plan to sell a multi-million-dollar luxury apartment, where some of her former relatives had lived, police said.
On social media sites, Choi posted photos of herself in exotic locales wearing flowing gowns and designer accessories. As news spread of her killing, her Instagram followers jumped from 119,000 to more than 150,000, as of Tuesday.
The suspects planned her murder for weeks, and rented the suburban apartment to cut up her body, police said. Witnesses reported seeing people carrying garbage bags out of the flat, authorities said.
The case mesmerized Hong Kong and mainland China, as evermore gruesome details emerged. Last week, police scoured a nearby landfill, searching for Choi's hands, arms and torso. The body parts weren't found and are still missing, authorities said.
"Even though we didn't find them, we obtained strong evidence in the case," Chung said after calling off the search last week.
The woman arrested in China is accused of trying to help Choi's ex-husband to flee by boat, according to local reports. A 41-year-old man has also been arrested and accused of participating in the boat escape plan, police said. Another woman had been arrested and accused of hiding one of the suspects, authorities said. She has been released on bail pending the filing of charges, police said.
The next scheduled court hearing for Choi's ex-husband and former in-laws is May 8.
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