Police are searching a landfill site as they investigate the murder of a Hong Kong model whose dismembered legs were found inside a fridge.

More than 100 officers wearing protective suits used excavators and shovels to search for Abby Choi’s hands and torso which remain missing.

A young woman’s skull, which is believed to be Ms Choi’s, was found in a cooking pot that was seized from the property where her legs were found.

A hole on the back of the skull is where she was struck in the fatal attack, officials believe.

The search for her remaining body parts has been taking place at the North East New Territories Landfill in Ta Kwu Ling, Hong Kong, close to the border with mainland China.

Superintendent Alan Chung told reporters: “The suspects threw away several bags of important evidence in the morning of 22 February.

“There may be some human body parts or they could be the clothes and phone of the victim – or even the weapons.”

So far, the search has not yielded anything substantial other than bones – with police unable to ascertain whether they are from a human or an animal.

Ms Choi, 28, was reportedly last seen a week ago on Tuesday 21 February, with police finding her legs in a fridge days later.

Human tissue was discovered in pots of soup when officers searched the property on Friday.

Local media reports say the house is in Lung Mei Village in Thai Po and is believed to have been rented by Ms Choi’s former father-in-law a few weeks ago.

Ms Choi, whose Instagram account has more than 100,000 followers, posted days before her disappearance, sharing a photoshoot she did for the front cover of fashion magazine, L’Officiel Monaco.

Police said she was embroiled in a financial dispute involving tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars with her ex-husband and his family – with “some people” unhappy with the way she handled her finances.

Ex-husband and former in-laws charged

Ms Choi’s ex-husband, Alex Kwong, 28, his father, Kwong Kau and brother, Anthony Kwong, were charged with murder on Monday, while her former mother-in-law, Jenny Li, faces one count of perverting the course of justice.

All four suspects were denied bail and have yet to enter any pleas. They are due to appear in court in May.

However, Alex Kwong jumped bail after appearing in another court on Tuesday for a previous theft allegation.

Another woman who had been arrested for allegedly assisting other suspects in the case was released on bail pending further investigation, police said.

She was believed to have been in an affair with the ex-husband’s father, the force said earlier.

‘My heart is heavy’

Ms Choi’s family visited a mortuary to identify her body before gathering near the house in Lung Mei Village dressed in black to mourn her loss.

Her friend, Bernard Cheng, said the model was mum to four children aged between three and 10.

Alex Kwong is dad to the two eldest children, who are in the care of their maternal grandmother.

Ms Choi’s second husband, Chris Tam, fathered the two younger children, who are staying with his family.

Her friend, Bernard Cheng, said she had good relationships with her family, including her in-laws.

He said he initially believed she was kidnapped.

“I haven’t imagined a person who’s so good, so full of love, so innocent, a person who doesn’t do anything bad will be killed like this,” he said.

“My heart is still heavy. I can’t sleep well.”