Model’s former husband, in-laws charged in death

Police in Hong Kong found her body parts in refrigerator and pot.

HONG KONG — The exhusband and former in-laws of a slain Hong Kong model were detained Monday on suspicion of murder after police found body parts in a refrigerator and a pot. The case has gripped many in a city where any violent crime is rare.

Alex Kwong, model Abby Choi’s former husband; his father, Kwong Kau; and his brother, Anthony Kwong, had been charged Sunday with murdering Choi. Alex Kwong’s mother, Jenny Li, faces one count of perverting the course of justice. None of the four has been granted bail.

Choi, a 28-year-old model with more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, disappeared Tuesday, according to a report filed with Hong Kong police. Her last post on the platform was Feb. 19, featuring a photo shoot she had done with fashion magazine L’Officiel Monaco.

On Friday, police found her dismembered body in a refrigerator in a house rented by Kwong Kau in a suburban part of Hong Kong about a 30-minute drive from mainland China.

Authorities later discovered a young woman’s skull believed to be Choi’s in a cooking pot seized from the house. Officials say there was a hole in the skull.

The defendants have not yet entered their pleas. The case was adjourned until May.

Choi had financial disputes involving millions of dollars with her ex-husband and his family, police said earlier, adding that “some people” were unhappy with how Choi handled finances.