Mei Li Haskell may have still been alive when her head was severed, according to an autopsy released Thursday by the Los Angeles medical examiner.
Mei Li’s husband, Sam Haskell, is accused of killing his 37-year-old wife and her parents, Gaoshan Li, 72, and Yanxiang Wang, 64, last November in Tarzana, California.
On November 7, Sam hired day laborers to put away the big sacks. The workers allegedly found parts of a human body in the bags, returned the bags and then informed the police. Sam was reportedly seen later that day on surveillance footage tossing the bag into a nearby Encina dumpster. A person inspecting those bags discovered a woman’s torso, prompting a police investigation. Coroners identified the torso as Mei Li’s.
Sam was arrested on November 8. He pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife and in-laws on January 12, 2024.
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PEOPLE has obtained a copy of Mei Li’s torso autopsy. The report stated that her head, arms and legs were missing.
The report cites a “sharp force injury to the neck” and the bone edges in the amputation areas described as “remarkably smooth”, suggesting that “a sharp power tool was likely used” in the amputations.
The report also stated: “There were no definitive indications that the dismemberment occurred antemortem, however, the possibility that the removal of the head and neck began before death cannot be completely ruled out.” In other words, although there was no indication that the head was removed after death, the autopsy did not rule out that Mei Li was still alive when her head was decapitated.
No other fatal injuries were identified on the torso. Although the remains did not include the head, the coroner concluded that the most likely mechanisms of death were blunt force trauma, gunshot wound or blunt force trauma to the head/neck or asphyxiation. The coroner also did not rule out the possibility of poisoning.
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“Given the circumstances of the case, which include the deliberate concealment of the body by dismemberment and disposal, the cause of death is homicidal violence,” the report concluded.
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Mei Haskell and her parents, Yanxiang Wang and Gaoshan Li.
Los Angeles Police Department via AP
The bodies of Mei Li’s parents have not been found.
If convicted, Sam could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He is the son of Hollywood executive Sam Haskell III, who produced TV specials for Dolly Parton. The elder Haskell resigned as executive director of the Miss America Organization after sending sexist emails criticizing former contestants in 2017.
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Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education