The wife of a Hollywood agent’s son has been confirmed dead just over a month after he was charged with murder when her torso was discovered in a Los Angeles dumpster.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner made the determination in a report released this week. The date of 37-year-old Mei Li Haskell’s death is listed as 8 November 2023, when authorities found her remains. Her place of death is listed as a parking lot.
Authorities have not released the woman’s cause of death and the case remains under investigation.
Mei’s husband, Samuel Haskell IV, was arrested last month and handed murder charges for his wife, and her parents, who also went missing.
They are: Gaoshan Li, 72, and Yanxiang Wang, 64. Officials have still not found their remains. In a news release issued in November, officials said the last time the three people were seen was November 6. In California, it is not uncommon to be handed murder charges even if officials have not located a person’s remains.
The following day, it’s alleged that 35-year-old Mr Haskell hired day labourers to take away black trash bags from his home. One of them opened one of the bags and made the gruesome discovery. They immediately called 911 to report the observation.
Additionally, officials said Mr Haskell was seen disposing of a large trash bag into a dumpster on Ventura Boulevard the same day. A unidentified individual said they had been looking through the dumpster, found the woman’s torso and called authorities.
The couple lived in a Los Angeles home they shared with their three children and Mei’s parents. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Mr Haskell is being held in jail without bond.
The suspect is the son of Samuel Haskell III, a prominent Hollywood executive who has represented Kathie Lee Gifford, Whoopi Goldberg, Dolly Parton, George Clooney and others.
His next court date is scheduled for 12 January 2024. It was not immediately clear if he has legal representation.
