A mother has been arrested on suspicion of drowning her 5-year-old son before decapitating him and stuffing his body in a trash can at their home in Houston, Texas, police have said.
Lihui Liu, 43, has been charged with capital murder of her 5-year-old son at the family's home in the 13000 block of Holly Lynn on November 30.
The Houston Police department said that officers responded to a stabbing call at the home at about 7 p.m. When officers arrived at the scene, they found the child dead.
According to the Houston Chronicle, police found the child's headless body partly covered by a plastic bag on the garage floor.
The boy's father reportedly told police that when he returned home, Lui said that she had sent the boy away. After searching for the child, the 43-year-old allegedly admitted to dumping him in the trash can.
Lui later admitted to drowning the boy but did not respond to questions about the alleged decapitation. Police recovered a blood-soaked knife from the bathroom of the house and saw blood splatter in the tub.
"At this point, this investigation is in its infancy. There's not a lot that we can release on it other than it looks like a domestic violence incident," Houston Police Assistant Chief Wendy Baimbridge told reporters at a press conference.
Speaking to the Houston Chronicle, the boy's father, Jiandong Xu, said his wife had been suffering from depression for the last few months.
"She loved my son. That's why I let my son be together with her," he said. "My son could make her better and recover. That was my mistake."
He said he told Lui's parents that their grandson and died, with the news shocking her mother so much she was reportedly taken to hospital.
"I told her parents, 'She killed my son,'" Xu said. "Her mother is now in the hospital because she, like her daughter, loved my son."
"I haven't told my mother," he added. "I think for all my life I won't tell her until she dies."
Lui is due to return to court on December 6 to face the charges. Authorities said the suspect does not appear to have any prior criminal history in Harris County, although Child Protective Services confirmed they dealt with an incident involving the family in 2015. It is not known what the incident was or how it was resolved.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
