'Something is Wrong': Hollywood Exec's Son Samuel Haskell Jr. 'Seemed Off' Prior to Murder Charge, Neighbor Says
A neighbor of Samuel Haskell IV, 35, said he displayed strange behavior before he was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Nov. 10 2023, Published 1:30 p.m. ET
The son of a prominent Hollywood executive who was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the discovery of a woman's torso "seemed off" before he was taken into custody, RadarOnline.com has learned.
A neighbor of Samuel Haskell IV, 35, said he displayed strange behavior she is now thinking twice about amid news that his wife, Mei Haskell, and her parents, Yanxiang Wang and Gaoshen Li, are still missing.
Haskell Jr. is the son of Sam Haskell Sr., founder and president of Magnolia Hill Productions, which has produced various Dolly Parton specials.
Sr. resigned as CEO of the Miss America organization in 2017 and was formerly a powerful executive at William Morris Agency who represented A-listers including Parton, Whoopi Goldberg, Ray Romano, and George Clooney before retiring in 2005.
Jr. was taken into custody on Wednesday at a mall in Topanga.
Haskell Jr. is the son of Sam Haskell Sr., founder and president of Magnolia Hill Productions.
"The husband — something seemed so off," the woman said in an interview with ABC 7 News, noting she personally knew Mei and even invited the couple to a house party.
"Something seemed so weird. I thought maybe he was sick, or something was wrong. All I said was, I kept saying to my family, something is wrong with him," she added.
Police were called to the area of Ventura Boulevard and Rubio Avenue on November 8 after a homeless person scavenging for recyclables stumbled upon a bag containing human remains in a mall dumpster.
An investigation led detectives back to his residence in the 4100 block of Coldstream Terrace.
The identification of the torso is ongoing, RadarOnline.com has learned, but an investigation led detectives back to his residence in the 4100 block of Coldstream Terrace.
Haskell, his wife, and in-laws lived at the home with their three children who were located at school Wednesday and turned over to the Department of Children and Family Services.
Cops have since raided the Haskells' residence after witnesses reported noticing what appeared to be body parts in bags outside the property the night before the grisly discovery of the torso ditched at a business plaza.
Haskell Jr.'s wife his wife, Mei Haskell, and her parents, Yanxiang Wang and Gaoshen Li, are still missing.
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"Once officers made entry, what was discovered was evidence of a crime, including some blood evidence and other items that I'm not going to provide at this point," LAPD Detective Efren Gutierrez said.
Li, 72, is described as 5-foot-6-inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds. Wang, 64, is described as 5-foot-4-inches tall and weighs approximately 135 pounds.
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"They would normally be home in these hours, and attempts have been made to contact them by phone, by cellphone and no answer. And the same with Mei. She is unaccounted for," said Gutierrez.
As of Friday, RadarOnline.com can confirm that Haskell is currently being held on no bail.
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