Police in Hong Kong have discovered the missing skull of a socialite whose gruesome murder has shocked the city after using dogs and drones, scouring a cemetery, and searching sewage manholes.
Over the weekend, her remains were discovered in a soup pot, providing more grisly details about the chilling killing of Abby Choi Tin-fung, a 28-year-old socialite and mother of four who went missing on Tuesday last week.
Her ex-husband and three members of his family have been arrested and charged in her death. On Monday, a local court denied them bail.
On Friday, three days after she failed to pick up her child from school, police discovered Choi’s dismembered legs in a refrigerator and her belongings, including credit cards and ID cards, at a village house on the outskirts of the city. Officers gathered evidence such as a meat grinder and cleavers, an electric saw, black raincoats, gloves, face shields, and two pots containing human tissue.
The walls and windows of the apartment were covered in tarpaulin, and the apartment was rented just weeks ago by Choi’s former father-in-law, Kwong Kau, according to police.
Alex Kwong, Choi’s ex-husband, was apprehended at a pier on Saturday while attempting to flee the city by boat with HK$500,000 ($64,000) in cash and Patek Philippe watches worth more than HK$4 million ($510,000). His brother, who also served as Choi’s chauffeur, was also detained.
The three men were charged with one count of murder each. Choi’s ex-mother-in-law was charged with perverting the course of justice because she was allegedly aware of the plot.
“We believe the victim and her ex-husband’s family had many financial disputes involving huge sums,” police superintendent Alan Chung told reporters on Saturday. “Someone was dissatisfied with how the victim handled her assets.”
On Sunday, police arrested a fifth person suspected of being involved. A 47-year-old woman surnamed Ng, who was allegedly the lover of Choi’s ex-father-in-law was accused of assisting him in renting the apartment in the Tai Po suburbs where Choi’s remains were discovered, as well as renting another flat to hide Alex Kwong when he was allegedly on the run.
Police spent days looking for missing body parts before discovering the skull in a pot from the initial crime scene at the village house. At a press conference on Sunday night, police said they discovered the victim’s skull with hair attached, several ribs, and human tissue inside a large pot of soup alongside radishes.
Chung explained why they hadn’t found the skull earlier by saying the pot was full of liquid and covered in layers of coagulated fat. “Forensic experts said conducting any tests at the scene was not appropriate. “We decided to transport the pot to the mortuary for examination to protect the evidence,” Chung explained.
Choi was most likely attacked in a seven-seater car, where blood spatters were discovered, and was unconscious when transported to the scene, according to him. Forensic experts also found a 6.5cm by 5.5cm hole in the skull behind Choi’s right ear, which they believe was caused by the fatal blow.
Choi and Kwong met as students and had two children, ages 10 and 8, according to local reports. Following their divorce, she began a new relationship and had two more children with Chris Tam Chuk-Kwan, the son of the founder of the popular Hong Kong noodle chain TamJai Yunnan Mixian.
She continued to provide for her ex-husband and former in-laws after the divorce, housing them in a HK$72 million ($9.2 million) luxury apartment she purchased in Kwong Kau’s name.
Choi attempted to sell the property before her death, which resulted in a dispute, according to Choi’s friend, who spoke to the local newspaper Mingpao.
Choi had an active social life, according to her social media accounts, and she frequently attended fashion shows in Paris, film screenings, and other brand events. She was said to come from a wealthy family that owns a construction company on China’s Hainan island and to have a personal net worth of more than HK$100 million ($12.75 million).
Local media also reported that Choi’s former father-in-law, Kwong Kau, was accused of raping a woman in 2005 while working as a police sergeant on a case. He left the force the following year but was never charged.