Abby Choi murder: Hong Kong Police ID skull found in soup pot as that of slain model; new arrest made

HONG KONG - Police in the former British colony of Hong Kong have announced a seventh arrest in connection with the gruesome murder of social media influencer and model Abby Choi, a day after new findings in the case were released.

In a brief statement, officials with the Hong Kong Police Force said they have arrested a 29-year-old woman who allegedly assisted one of the six other suspects in the case without naming which suspect she is accused of assisting.

According to the AP, the woman allegedly fled to China, and was handed over to Hong Kong authorities by Mainland Chinese authorities. The woman was identified by Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK as Pun Hau-Yin. In a separate article, Pun was described by Hong Kong English language newspaper South China Morning Post as being a social media influencer in her own right.

The arrest of Pun was announced five days after police in the former British colony announced a sixth arrest in connection with the case. The person arrested, identified as a 41-year-old man with the surname Lam, is accused of assisting another suspect.

"The man works at a yacht rental company," said Police Superintendent Alan Chung, during a news conference on Mar. 2. "We have reason to believe that the man, after the crime took place, tried to take a sum of money to help one of the suspects leave Hong Kong via a maritime route."

Reports differ as to the ties Pun had with the rest of the suspects. Hong Kong English language newspaper The Standard reported that Pun is a friend of Lam, while Hong Kong Chinese language news website HK01 reported that Pun is a friend of Choi's ex-husband, Alex Kwong.

Body parts recovered IDed as that of Choi

The arrest of Pun came one day after The Standard reported that police have identified a skull that was found in a large soup pot, as well as two legs found in a refrigerator in a rural house where the murder allegedly happened on Feb. 22 as those of Choi, citing sources.

Choi's other body parts, according to The Standard, have not been found as of Mar. 7.

Choi, described in an article by fashion magazine L'Officiel Monaco as a "fashion icon" and "media personality," was last seen on Feb. 21, when she was set to pick up a daughter she had with her ex-husband.

On Feb. 25, Choi's death was announced by officials with the Hong Kong Police Force.

"A meat slicer, an electric saw and some clothing in suspected connection with the case were seized at scene," read a portion of a statement released by the Hong Kong Police Force on Feb. 25.

"The suspects threw away several bags of important evidence in the morning of Feb. 22. They may be some human body parts or they could be the clothes and the phone of the victim, or even the weapons," said Hong Kong Police Force Superintendent Alan Chung, in late February.

Choi's ex-husband, ex-in-laws accused of murder

Choi's ex-husband, Alex, along with his brother Anthony Kwong and his father Kwong Kau, are accused of murder in connection with Choi's death.

Besides Pun, three other people also have been arrested in connection with Choi's killing. Like Pun, the three are also not accused of murder.

The three have been identified in various media reports as:

• Alex Kwong's mother, Jenny Li
• A woman identified by HK01 (in Chinese) as a 47-year-old with the surname ‘Ng,' who authorities believe is in an affair with Kwong Kau
• A 41-year-old man identified by Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK as Lam Shun

Li, according to reports, is accused of perverting the course of justice, while Ng and Lam, like Pun, are accused of assisting the other suspects in the case.

Read More: Gruesome murder, dismemberment of Hong Kong model Abby Choi shocks the world: Here's what you should know

This story was reported on from Phoenix. The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this report.