NYPD seeking two men in Brooklyn body parts case, officials say
NYPD homicide detectives were seeking two men Thursday who were seen leaving a Brooklyn apartment where the dismembered remains of a young woman were found earlier in the day, officials said.
In a briefing with reporters, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said the body parts stuffed into two suitcases were the remains of a woman who lived in the apartment on Linwood Street and who had not been seen by building security staff for the past month.
Security staff called 911 after they were denied access into the apartment by one of the men on Wednesday during an attempt by the staff to conduct a wellness check on the woman, Essig said.
After two men left the apartment, building security used a master key to enter the premises and found “blood all over the place,” Essig said. Responding officers discovered the suitcases containing the body parts in the bathtub, he said.
Police didn’t release the name of the tenant, believed to be about 22 years-old and, as of late Thursday, the city medical examiner had not release the results of the autopsy. It was unclear to police how long the remains had been in the apartment, something which Essig might be determined by the autopsy. Essig believed the dismemberment took place in the bathtub.
“This is a very active crime scene,” Essig said. “There is a lot of work we have to do.”
Essig wouldn’t say if one of the men was a boyfriend of the dead woman and didn’t know if there had been any order of protection issued that related to the victim. Surveillance videos showing movement into and out of the building and apartment were being studied by detectives for additional clues, officials said.
The 10-story building where the remains were found was renovated in 2020 and reopened with a mix of market-rate apartments, with a percentage of them set aside for the homeless, according to a website announcing the project. Essig on Thursday said the building was functioning as a private shelter.
Officials at B&B Urban, the firm listed as one of the developers which carried out the renovation, didn’t return a telephone call for comment.
Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.
