Tarzana man charged with murder after woman's torso found in trash bin, 3 people still missing

The main suspect in connection to the discovery of a woman’s torso in a San Fernando Valley trash bin has been charged with murder, the Los Angeles Police Department said Thursday.

Samuel Haskell, 35, a resident of Los Angeles, is being held on a $2,000,000 bail.

Video evidence from the scene of the disturbing discovery in Encino led law enforcement to Tarzana on Wednesday. The investigation then led to the arrest of Haskell, who was booked on suspicion of murder. Haskell was arrested at a mall in Topanga.

The gruesome discovery was made by an individual around 6 a.m. when they were looking through dumpster bins in the area of Ventura Boulevard and Rubio Avenue and found a bag containing a woman’s torso.

As a result of the investigation, authorities are also searching for three people related to Haskell who are unaccounted for. Law enforcement has not been able to contact the suspect’s wife and her parents. Those who are missing were identified as:

• Mei Haskell;
• Gaoshan Li, age 72. He is described as 5-foot-6-inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds.
• YanXiang Wang, age 64. She is described as 5-foot-4-inches tall and weighs approximately 135 pounds.

Police said the three elementary-aged children who live in the home on Clearstream were safe and under the custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.

Anyone with additional information is urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division, Homicide Special Section, at (213) 486-6890.