The son of a well-known Hollywood agent, Samuel Haskell, has been apprehended on suspicion of murder following the discovery of a woman’s torso in a trash bag. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) disclosed that Samuel Haskell was taken into custody after an individual searching a dumpster at an Encino strip mall stumbled upon the torso on Wednesday. This finding led detectives to Haskell’s residence in Tarzana, where he resided with his wife, three children, and in-laws.
Earlier on Tuesday night, the police had been summoned to Haskell’s home after a report of apparent body parts in bags outside. However, upon their arrival, the bags had disappeared, preventing them from entering the residence due to lack of evidence, as stated by LAPD Detective Efren Gutierrez, according to The New York Times.
The police suspect Haskell of murdering his wife, Mei Li Haskell, and her parents, 71-year-old Gaoshan Li and 64-year-old Yanxiang Wang, who are currently missing. Gutierrez informed reporters that attempts to contact them via phone and cellphone had been unsuccessful.
Haskell’s three children are under the care of family members, according to an LAPD press release. L.A. Police Capt. Scot Williams of the Robbery-Homicide Division indicated to the LA Times that officials believe the discovered torso belongs to Haskell’s wife, pending forensic confirmation. Investigators reportedly found blood and other indications of foul play within Haskell’s residence.
Samuel Haskell is presently held on a $2,000,000 bail. Reports from The New York Times reveal that he is the son of Samuel Haskell III, a prominent talent agent and film producer who served as the executive vice president at the William Morris Agency in the late 1990s. The senior Haskell was known as one of the most influential agents of that era, representing celebrities like George Clooney, Ray Romano, and Whoopi Goldberg.
