In a shocking turn of events, a dismembered female torso was discovered in a dumpster near Ventura Boulevard and Rubio Avenue in Los Angeles, leading to the arrest of a suspect on Wednesday. The LAPD revealed that a homeless person made the gruesome discovery in a parking lot, prompting an immediate investigation into the horrific crime.

Detective Efren Gutierrez, speaking at a press conference, stated that the victim’s body was so extensively dismembered that initial identification proved challenging. However, detectives were able to determine that the murder had occurred in the past few days, emphasizing the suspect’s intent to delay identification.

Surveillance footage from the parking lot played a crucial role in identifying the suspect as 35-year-old Samuel Haskell, residing approximately five miles away in Tarzana. Authorities, armed with a search warrant, scoured Haskell’s residence, where he lived with his wife, Mei, and their three children. Inside the home, investigators allegedly discovered blood evidence and other incriminating items.

Disturbingly, a neighbor had reported seeing bags containing body parts outside Haskell’s home the day before the discovery in the dumpster. However, by the time law enforcement responded, the bags had vanished, deepening the mystery surrounding the heinous crime.

Samuel Haskell was apprehended at a mall in Topanga on suspicion of murder and is currently held at the Valley Jail in Van Nuys on a $2 million bail.

The investigation has taken a distressing turn as authorities now search for Haskell’s wife, Mei, and her parents, YanXiang Wang (64) and Gaoshan Li (72), all of whom are missing. Wang and Li also resided at the Tarzana home, adding complexity to the case.

In a protective measure, the police picked up the couple’s three children from school and placed them in the custody of the county Department of Children and Family Services.

As the LAPD continues its relentless pursuit of justice, the community is left grappling with the shocking events that unfolded within their midst. The motive behind the grisly crime and the whereabouts of the missing family members remain central to the ongoing investigation, casting a dark shadow over this Los Angeles neighborhood.