Chinese police find woman’s dismembered body in septic tank, husband detained
- Authorities say a 55-year-old man has confessed to killing his 51-year-old wife in her sleep and cutting up her body
- Suspect had earlier held press interviews appealing for information about the missing woman
A man in eastern China has been detained on suspicion of murdering his wife after the woman’s dismembered remains were found in a septic tank at their apartment building.
The suspect, a 55-year-old identified only by his surname Xu, has confessed to the crime, police in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, said on Saturday.
The victim, a 51-year-old surnamed Lai, was reported missing by her husband on July 6, prompting a police search and widespread media coverage.
Xu gave several interviews, in which he told the media he last saw Lai asleep in bed at midnight on July 5 after returning from the bathroom. When he woke again five hours later, she had gone, he said.
While the police initially had little to go on, they conducted a search of the couple’s residential compound after discovering Lai had not left her flat since returning home on the evening of July 4.
The breakthrough came when officers discovered human tissue in the septic tank on Wednesday, Jia Qinmin, deputy head of the Hangzhou police bureau, told a press conference.