Woman’s torso found in Encino leads to Tarzana man’s arrest; Missing persons search for wife, in-laws

Man arrested, his in-laws missing after woman's torso found

A Tarzana man is behind bars and his in-laws are now reported missing after a woman's torso was found inside a dumpster in Encino.

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles authorities announced an arrest was made after a homeless man made a gruesome discovery when he found human remains stuffed in a plastic bag while searching through a trash bin in the Encino area.

Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department said the remains, described as a woman's headless torso, were discovered around 6:15 a.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Rubio Avenue.

Human remains found in Encino

LAPD officers made a gruesome discovery in Encino on the morning of Nov. 8.

During a news conference Wednesday, the LAPD said video evidence at the scene led investigators to the suspect’s home in Tarzana, located in the 4100 block of Coldstream Terrance.

Bloody evidence was then found inside the suspect’s home, identified as 35-year-old Samuel Haskell.

Haskell’s wife, her parents and the couple’s three children also live in the home where the disturbing evidence was found. The children were found safely at school. However, their mother and grandparents remain missing.

Below is a photo of Mei Li Haskell and her parents, Gaoshan Li and Yanxiang Wang:

The name of the victim has not been released.

LAPD Detective Efren Gutierrez asked "if there are any persons out there missing family members, missing loved ones or coworkers, to reach out to the Los Angeles Police Department and report them missing."

Haskell is being held at the Van Nuys Jail on a $2 million bail.