Kaohsiung: Several pieces of severed human remains in a Kaohsiung river and nearby docks have been identified as belonging to missing women believed to have been killed and dismembered by a 73-year-old man, local police said. The man, surnamed Chang, was taken back to his residence in Cianjhen District on Monday to clarify how the alleged murders took place after blood samples collected at his home last week matched DNA samples provided by family members of three previously reported missing women.

According to Focus Taiwan, the human remains uncovered since February 6 have been identified as those of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang, who is of no relation to the suspect. Kaohsiung City Police Department Commissioner Lin Yen-tien informed reporters on Sunday about these identifications. The third blood sample was found to be the suspect's 75-year-old sister-in-law, surnamed Huang.

Chao's family reported her missing on February 3, and surveillance footage reviewed by the police revealed that she gave Chang a ride on her scooter the day before to his residence, where she was last seen. Cameras also showed Chang leaving his residence 12 times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. on February 3, carrying black plastic bags on five occasions, which he then dumped into a river.

The police questioned Chang on February 4 and arrested him the following day in connection with Chao's death. Forensic analysis found that blood samples collected in his residence matched those of the missing women. The local district court granted prosecutors' motion to detain the 73-year-old suspect on February 7.

Meanwhile, the Kaohsiung City Police Department Criminal Investigation Corps reported on Monday that a small piece of suspected human remains had been found and sent to the police department's Forensic Science Center for analysis.