Police have arrested the son of prominent former William Morris Agency agent Samuel Haskell III after an individual found the torso of a woman in a dumpster. The suspect, Samuel Haskell IV, 35, was arrested on November 9 on suspicion of murder. Prosecutors believe Haskell murdered his wife, 37-year-old Mei Li Haskell, and her parents, 71-year-old Gaoshan Li and 64-year-old Yanxiang Wang.
Mei Li Haskell and her parents were reportedly last seen alive on November 6, per the New York Post. Prosecutors allege Haskell acted suspiciously in the days following the trio's disappearance, and now they hope to prove he is a killer.
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The family reportedly lived together.
The family shared a home in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles, per the Post. There were also three young children living in the home who were found safe. According to a release from the Los Angeles Police Department, police went to a residence in the 4100 block of Coldstream Terrace last week after someone made a gruesome discovery.
"On November 8, 2023, around 6:00 a.m., an individual looking through dumpster bins found a bag containing a woman's torso, prompting the police to be called. Detectives responded and processed the crime scene," the release reads.
Day laborers discovered the body.
In a news release issued Monday, the Los Angeles district attorney’s office noted that Haskell allegedly hired four day-laborers to help him on November 7.
"One of the laborers opened one of the bags and allegedly observed human body parts. They called 911 and reported the incident," the DA's release explained.
The laborers spoke with NBC Los Angeles but did not want to be identified.
Through an interpreter, one of the Spanish-speaking laborers alleged, "When we picked up the bags, we could tell they weren't rocks."
They described the bags as soggy and mushy.
"I started seeing body parts, a belly button," the worker said. "I was astonished. Of course, I felt bad. We had been tricked." The workers quickly notified the police.
According to the news station, the workers returned the bags to Haskell's home along with the $500 he paid them to do the work.
Surveillance cameras reportedly caught Haskell throwing something in a dumpster.
Later that day, the DA's office shared that Haskell was seen on a surveillance camera about five miles from his home, apparently putting something in a dumpster. Friends of the family reportedly told NBC Los Angeles that Haskell had an office near the garbage receptacle.
"On November 8, an individual who was looking through the same dumpster found a torso in a trash bag and called 911," the release reads.
NBC Los Angeles reported that authorities went to the Haskell's home with a search warrant; they reportedly found evidence of a crime, including at least two rooms that appeared to be a crime scene.
Police arrested Haskell later that day.
The father of three was arrested November 8 and was being held without bond. The DA's office on Monday described the alleged crime and vowed to get justice for the victims.
"These shocking and gruesome crimes have sent shockwaves through our community. We stand with the victims' loved ones during this unimaginably difficult time and will do everything in our power to ensure justice is served," District Attorney George Gascón shared in the release. "Our Major Crimes Division will work tirelessly to bring about a prosecution that reflects the severity of this devastating crime."
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The body parts have not yet been identified.
The Post reported that on Monday, Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said the remains are still being examined, but authorities think they know who they belong to.
"We suspect that the torso is the body of Mei Haskell," she said. "No other bags containing body parts or remains have been recovered to date, but I don't need a body to charge a murder.
"There were items of evidence in the house that indicated he dismembered the bodies," Silverman added.
According to jail records, Haskell is scheduled to appear in court at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on December 8.
If convicted, Haskell could spend the rest of his life in jail without the possibility of parole.
