A Taiwanese man suspected of a triple homicide was arrested on Sunday (May 12) after three members of his family were found dead and wrapped in blankets in their New Taipei apartment.

The man was believed to have strangled his 29-year-old wife, surnamed Chen, his three-year-old stepson from a previous marriage, and his mother-in-law, Liu, 69, Taiwanese media reported.

Their bodies were discovered in the family's shared apartment in Sanchong, New Taipei City, on May 11.

The 24-year-old man, surnamed Chang, was found at a rented address in Taichung the next day.

The handcuffed Chang was seen holding his pet Pomeranian, apparently named "Glutinous Rice" in Mandarin, while being escorted back to the Sanchong police station.

Bodies found after foul smell detected from unit

A woman identified as Liu's eldest daughter said she visited the residence after being unable to contact her mother for several days, Focus Taiwan reported.

She noticed a foul smell coming from the apartment and alerted the police.

Police found the door of the unit locked, with no signs of forced entry, according to Taiwan News.

The three bodies were discovered wrapped in blankets on a bed and were found to have been dead for some time.

Police said none of the bodies had stab wounds, and there were no traces of a struggle.

Admitted to murdering family over 'financial dispute'

Chang reportedly had a history of fraud and gambling debts and had borrowed NT$400,000 (S$16,712) from Liu, according to United Daily News.

He is suspected of strangling his wife and mother-in-law and stuffing a towel in his stepson's mouth.

According to Taiwanese media ETToday and China Times, internal sources claimed that Chang had admitted to killing his wife on May 1 as he suspected her of having an affair.

They also reported that Chang then killed his mother-in-law the next day after a dispute broke out between them over the debt.

They said Chang had not revealed why he killed his stepson.

However, at a subsequent media briefing, a police spokesperson did not confirm if Chang had confessed to the murders, citing investigations confidentiality, Focus Taiwan reported.

Autopsies will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

Chang will be held in detention by the police while the case is under investigation.

Top image from Taipei Times