Dismembered village official not murdered: police  

河南宝丰一退休乡官碎尸矿井内 警方排除他杀

Baofeng(ECNS) -- A retired village official in Henan province was found dismembered in a mine, but local police said on Wednesday that murder has been ruled out following a 20-day investigation.

The dead man named Li Sanhu once served as a government official in Qianying county of Baofeng town under Pingdingshan city. Li started to engage in small businesses including coal transportation after his retirement in 2005, according to local police.

Li died on March 20 when he visited a mine owned by the Zhengzhou Coal Group to get samples. He reportedly went missing 20 minutes after arriving there.

A human leg, head and other body parts were later found among coal pulled out of the mine. A DNA test confirmed that the body parts belonged to Li.

"My father's death is suspicious, because its cause is unexplained," said Li Shuaifeng, the son of the deceased.

"The company owes us an explanation for why my father entered a mine that is normally inaccessible to people who are not employees."

"They just packed up the body parts and left them at a local funeral home," said the son.

A local investigator named Xu told Chinanews.com that surveillance videos were not available to provide clues.

Local police said that although murder has been ruled out, an investigation is still underway to classify whether it was an accidental death or suicide.