Serial murder investigators recover 8 more pieces of human remains

Kaohsiung, Feb. 16 (CNA) In the latest development of the Kaohsiung serial murder and dismemberment case, eight pieces of body parts and one suspected human bone were found at the bottom of a ship channel at a pier in Qianzhen District during a search on Sunday, according to local police.

As search operations entered their 11th day on Sunday, a total of 62 pieces of human remains have been recovered, according to the police.

Kaohsiung prosecutors and police have been searching for remains at the No. 5 Dock, Pier 25 to 27 and the adjacent Asia Bay in Qianzhen since Feb. 6 using sonar equipment and underwater cameras.

Divers recovered eight pieces of skin and human tissue and a suspected human bone from the bottom of the ship channel at Chenggong Bridge, Jingong Bridge, and Pier 27, police said.

A plastic bag containing multiple pieces of clothing found near the two bridges has been sent for identification and forensic comparison.

According to authorities, a total of 62 body parts have been recovered, 37 of which have been identified through DNA testing.

Police said that two of the body parts belonged to a woman surnamed Chang (張) in Zuoying District and 35 belonged to a woman surnamed Chao (趙) in Nanzih District, according to the police.

The remaining remains that have not yet been identified will be sent to a DNA laboratory for identification after the forensic examination and sample collection on Monday, police said.

Kaohsiung police arrested a 73-year-old man surnamed Chang (張) on Feb. 5 as the main suspect in the murder and dismemberments of three women in their 70s.

The case started when a woman surnamed Chao (趙) was reported missing by her family on Feb. 3.

Surveillance footage pulled by the police later revealed that Chao gave the suspect a ride on her scooter at around 6 p.m. Feb. 2 to his residence where she was last seen.

Investigators found blood in his apartment that connected him to the two other missing women.

Cameras showed Chang left his residence 12 times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Feb. 3, carrying black plastic bags on five of these occasions.

According to prosecutors, forensic experts discovered biological evidence at Chang's place such as blood trace which prompted authorities to suspect the 73-year-old of murder.

Crime scene investigators collected evidence inside Chang's Kaohsiung residence, which led forensic experts to discover two other blood samples on top of Chao's.

After cross-referencing missing persons reports, Kaohsiung authorities said they believed that Chang may have killed at least two other women alongside Chao between December last year and this month.