ENCINO, CA — Los Angeles police arrested a man suspected of killing his wife and dismembering her after a torso was found in a Ventura Boulevard dumpster Wednesday morning.
Samuel Haskell, 35, was arrested on suspicion of murder at 11:25 a.m. Wednesday at the Topanga Mall in connection with the crime, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Rosario Cervantes.
Authorities added that they believe the torso is that of Haskell’s wife, though a positive identification has not been made.
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Police are also searching for Haskell’s elderly mother and father-in-law, who live with Haskell at his home on Coldstream Terrace in Tarzana. As of 8 a.m. Thursday, they had not been found.
The woman had been cut up and disposed of in a plastic bag found in a dumpster behind a sushi restaurant at Ventura Boulevard and Rubio Way at about 6:15 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The dumpster serves a Ventura Boulevard strip mall bordering a residential neighborhood on Rubio Way.
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Authorities found the woman’s torso but no other body parts. It had been placed in a black bag inside a duffel bag. Police believe the victim was dismembered to delay her identification.
It was unclear how long the remains may have been in the bin, or how long ago the victim may have died.
Anyone with information about the case can call the LAPD at 877-LAPD-247.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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