A janitor discovered a dismembered 39-year-old woman’s remains Sunday inside the basement of a New York public housing building a day after her sister received a FaceTime call.
The unidentified janitor discovered the remains shortly after 9:30 a.m. in the basement of the building at The Borinquen Public Houses, ABC 7 Eyewitness News reported, citing officials. New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) workers thought a bag was “suspiciously heavy,” opened it, peered within and found the dismembered remains. A law enforcement official said a plastic bag containing the remains was inside a trash compactor, according to The New York Times (NYT).
Authorities named the victim Monday as Michelle Montgomery. The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy and must review the findings of further tests along with investigative information from law enforcement to determine Montgomery’s cause of death, a spokesperson said. (RELATED: One Person Allegedly Stabbed As Poker Chips Fly In Incredibly Insane Casino Brawl)
Montgomery lived in the Gowanus Houses, which is a different public housing development from where her remains were found, the NYT reported.
Anthony Echevarria, who named himself as Montgomery’s spouse and their four children’s father, told the outlet he was struggling to process his wife’s death.
“She was a loving mother of four,” he said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do next. Everything is spinning around at 100 miles an hour.”
Echevarria said the last time he saw his wife was late Saturday when she departed their residence to spend time with friends. He claimed law enforcement had not given him with any details regarding how his wife died.
Serenity Montgomery also spoke with the NYT and questioned who would want to hurt her older sister. “My sister was a loving, happy person,” she said. “I don’t know what would make someone do this to her.”
“We’re just trying to get to the bottom of this. I’ve got so many questions,” Serenity added.
The woman said she and her sister would frequently leave together on the weekends and check in with each other beforehand about their intentions. Serenity did not hear from her this weekend, which was odd, she said.
Serenity told the NYT that her sister called her on FaceTime at approximately 10:00 p.m. on Saturday and she heard music over the call before it cut out. Serenity said she didn’t know if her sister meant to call her or not.
Echevarria told News 12 they would “get justice” for his wife’s death. “I promise that,” he said.
No arrests have been made in connection with Montgomery’s death, and the investigation is active, according to ABC 7.
The Daily Caller contacted the New York Police Department, who did not immediately comment.