Autopsy report released after woman's dismembered torso found in Southern California trash bin
The report states the "amputation sites" were "remarkably smooth," suggesting that a "sharp power tool was likely used."
LOS ANGELES -- More than four months after a woman's dismembered torso was found dumped in a trash bin in Southern California, we're learning new details about her death.
The body part was found in Encino on Nov. 8, 2023 and the following month, it was positively identified as 37-year-old Mei Li Haskell's remains.
According to the autopsy report, her cause of death has been "deferred" but the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner's report listed Haskell's "head, majority of the neck, and majority of all 4 extremities" as "absent."
The report states the "amputation sites" were "remarkably smooth," suggesting that a "sharp power tool was likely used."
"There was no definitive indication that the dismemberment occurred antemortem, however, the possibility that the head and neck removal was initiated prior to death cannot be entirely excluded," read the report.
The victim's husband, 35-year-old Samuel Bond Haskell, was charged with the killings of his wife and her parents, who remain missing.
He pleaded not guilty in January, and is currently being held without bail.
