A California woman who was killed and dismembered, allegedly by her Hollywood scion husband, may have still been alive when she was decapitated, the Los Angeles Medical Examiner reportedly found.
The torso of Mei Li Haskell, 37, was found by a homeless man inside a duffel bag thrown into a dumpster last November.
Samuel Haskell IV, 35, has been charged with the murders of his wife and her parents. Haskell - whose father is an Emmy-winning Hollywood producer and a former executive at the William Morris talent agency - pleaded not guilty during a January court appearance.
The younger Haskell allegedly hired day laborers on Nov. 7 to dispose of multiple large bags, authorities have said. After allegedly finding human body parts inside the bags, the laborers contacted police.
Haskell was allegedly caught on surveillance camera later that day stuffing a bag into the dumpster where his wife's torso was found.
An autopsy report on the torso obtained by People noted a "sharp force injury at the neck," the magazine reported Friday.
The bone margins where the victim's head and limbs were severed were "remarkably smooth," suggesting "a sharp powered tool was likely used," according to the report.
The medical examiner also said it couldn't be determined when the victim was decapitated, meaning "the possibility that the head and neck removal was initiated prior to death cannot be entirely excluded."
Mei Li Haskell's head and limbs are yet to be recovered, and her torso displayed no other fatal injuries, leaving the cause of death officially undetermined, according to the report.
The bodies of her parents, 71-year-old Gaoshan Li and 64-year-old Yanxiang Wang, are also unaccounted for.
If convicted, Samuel Haskell faces life in prison.
