HONG KONG (Reuters) – Four people charged in connection with the killing of 28-year-old model Abby Choi appeared in court on Monday morning, after police found parts of her body in a village house on the outskirts of the financial city.

Hong Kong police said on Sunday they had charged three men, aged 28-65, with murder, and a 63-year old woman with one count of obstructing the case.

Those charged with Choi’s killing included her ex-husband, Alex Kwong, Kwong’s brother Anthony and their father Kwong Kau, police said. All four were denied bail, the court ruled. The court adjourned a hearing on the case to May 8.

The killing of local influencer Choi, who recently appeared on the digital cover of L’Officiel Monaco fashion magazine, has gripped daily tabloids after she disappeared last Tuesday.

Police discovered parts of her body in the three-storey house in rural Tai Po district last week. They also found a meat slicer and an electric saw at the scene, according to a statement.

Choi’s head was discovered in a soup pot in the village house where she was found, according to the South China Morning Post.

(Reporting by Jessie Pang and Joyce Zhou; writing by Farah Master; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Himani Sarkar)

Police takes the refrigerator that is suspected of having been used to keep body parts of 28-year-old model Abby Choi, out of the house where she was suspected to have been dismembered in Hong Kong, China, February 25, 2023 in this screen grab taken from a handout video. TVB/Handout via REUTERS