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Over the span of one week, various body parts, including two decapitated heads, were found scattered throughout Long Island, New York.
The story started when a young girl stumbled upon an arm while making her way to school in Babylon, near Southards Park in Suffolk County, on February 29th.
As a result, a thorough investigation by the police was conducted in the vicinity. During their search, additional body parts that had been dismembered were discovered. The severed arms were found to be missing fingertips.
Only a few days afterwards, a collection of high schoolers unexpectedly discovered additional human remains. On March 5th, more body parts were uncovered in Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, approximately 10 miles away from the original location of the crime.
Authorities in Suffolk County have confirmed the identity of the woman who was victimized as 59-year-old Donna Conneely. The male victim has been identified by family members as 53-year-old Malcolm Craig Brown, hailing from Westchester, New York.
Four individuals, two women and two men, were apprehended and accused of impeding the legal process, manipulating evidence, and withholding a deceased body.
Steven Brown, age 44, Jeffrey Mackey, age 38, and Amanda Wallace, age 40, all residing in Amityville, New York, and Alexis Nieves, age 33, who is currently without a home – were formally charged and granted release as a result of the state’s more forgiving bail reform laws.
The individuals are not accused of causing the deaths of the victims. Brown and Wallace will be in court on Monday, and Mackey and Nieves will make their court appearance on Tuesday.
The gruesome findings are the most recent alarming instance of human remains being discarded in parks, forests, and other public areas on Long Island. These have previously included the bodies of victims of MS-13 gang violence and the infamous murders at Gilgo Beach.
All that has been uncovered is the discovery of remains scattered throughout parks in Babylon and Bethpage, as well as information on the victims and the four suspects who were arrested and later released.
Children discovered two decapitated heads and a tattooed arm in parks.
Multiple body parts, including two decapitated heads, were discovered in different areas of Suffolk County from February 29 to March 5.
Police reported that on February 29th, a female student discovered an arm while walking to school near Southards Pond Park in Babylon, approximately 25 miles east of New York City.
The man’s father dialed 911 and law enforcement later found an additional arm and leg. According to the police, all of these remains seemed to be from the 53-year-old individual.
The police reported that during their investigation of the crime scene, a search dog found a leg protruding from a stack of leaves in a nearby wooded area.
According to authorities, a cadaver dog discovered the head, arm, and portions of two legs that were believed to belong to the 59-year-old female.
Several days after, authorities reported that a left arm was discovered by a group of students from a high school on Long Island while en route to school via a Babylon road.
On March 5th, more remains were discovered in West Babylon and a state park, which belonged to the same two individuals.
Authorities reported that they conducted a search on a residence in Amityville, located a few miles west of Babylon, the day before. However, their search did not uncover any human remains.
“Who has been victimized?”
On March 11th, the individuals who had been dismembered and discovered in various locations in Suffolk County were officially recognized by both their relatives and the authorities as a man and a woman from Yonkers.
The female victim has been named as Donna Conneely, 59, by Suffolk County authorities. The male victim has been identified as Malcolm Craig Brown, 53, by his family members.
The two shared a last known address in Yonkers, north of New York City, more than 30 miles from where their remains were discovered.
Coreen Bullock and Charles Williams reported to local media that Malcolm Brown was their sibling, and one of the accused individuals, Steven Brown, is their cousin.
Mr Williams expressed that our family has experienced the loss of a brother, and we have parents who are currently at home dealing with the pain and suffering caused by this tragedy. Our cousin, Steven Brown, is also a member of our family. Despite this, he has remained silent and has nothing to offer in terms of support or comfort.
According to a statement from Coreen Bullock, Brown, who had two older siblings, had a passion for cooking and drawing. He was also highly praised for his generous nature.
According to Ms. Bullock, he may not have been wealthy, but he was always willing to help others and give them the shirt off his back.
According to the New York Daily News, she shared that her brother had served 20 years in prison before his violent death, but had been doing well before the tragic incident.
Ms. Bullock stated that he had been in prison for around 20 years, but he was able to turn his life around after his release.
According to records, Brown was incarcerated for 12 years at Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York for attempted murder in 2002.
Andre Brown, who is married to a relative of Malcolm Brown, informed the media that he had recently experienced his longest period of being free since initially being imprisoned. This was before his dismembered remains were found by the police.
According to Andre Brown, the deceased individual did not often spend time outside. Brown added that the period before his death was likely the longest stretch of time he had been out of jail.
Four individuals apprehended in a horrifying incident.
Four individuals were involved and charged in relation to the case for committing the crimes of impeding law enforcement, tampering with evidence, and hiding a human body.
Steven Brown and Amanda Wallace, aged 44 and 40 respectively, made an appearance in court on Monday in Central Islip. The judge ruled to keep their GPS tracking in effect.
On Friday, Jeffrey Mackey, who is 38 years old, and Alexis Nieves, who is 33 years old, were present. They pleaded not guilty, but they were unable to be detained because of the state’s lax bail reform laws.
The Investigation
Police arrested four suspects at the Amityville residence, which is shared by Ms. Wallace, Mr. Mackey, and Mr. Brown, after a search warrant was carried out.
According to Newsday, Assistant District Attorney Frank Schroeder stated that there is substantial proof against the four individuals, including footage from surveillance cameras, blood, and weapons such as meat cleavers and butcher knives.
The attorney representing Mr. Brown, Ira Weissman, stated that his client is not responsible for taking someone’s life. Weissman explained that he is unable to provide further insight on the specific allegations against Mr. Brown since he has not reviewed the evidence, as reported by The Associated Press.
A Family Connection
Coreen Bullock and Charles Williams voiced their grievances about the loss of their brother and shared their ties with one of the suspects.
“He was our baby brother, he was not perfect but nobody deserves murder like this and his cousin has something to do with it,” Ms Bullock said, referring to their cousin Steven Brown.
During the court hearing, the victim’s sibling Charles Williams raised his voice and urged his cousin to take the correct course of action.
Ms. Bullock expressed disbelief at the fact that four individuals were able to kill two people and then simply walk away without consequences.
is causing further division
There is ongoing political conflict surrounding bail reform, which is contributing to more divisiveness within society.
Legislators from both parties in Suffolk County are advocating for modifications to the bail laws in New York. This comes after four suspects, who were taken into custody in connection to the discovery of body parts, were released on supervised release without bail.
During a recent press conference, the officials criticized Governor Kathy Hochul’s statements about the matter.
“It is possible that the District Attorney should have conducted a more extensive inquiry and pursued charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, or assault, all of which are eligible for bail. Perhaps they initiated the charges prematurely,” stated Governor Hochul.
“I urge the District Attorney’s office to revisit and strengthen their case. If all of the charges are filed, which I believe is warranted, the defendants would be eligible for bail. This would ensure that these individuals are not released onto the streets.”
Raymond Tierney, the District Attorney of Suffolk County, retaliated by contacting Governor Hochul.
“Governor Hochul’s lack of understanding or intentional dishonesty regarding the criminal justice system is concerning. It is the responsibility of prosecutors to only bring charges that can be backed up by evidence, anything else would be considered unethical. The Suffolk County Police Homicide Detectives, who are working tirelessly on this case, are among the top detectives in the country. Therefore, for the Governor to criticize their efforts without knowing the full details, in defense of a flawed bail system, is both bewildering and unjustifiable,” Tierney stated.
“When the authorities gathered sufficient evidence to detain these individuals for severe crimes, they took the necessary action to make the arrests. Did the Governor desire for the police to ignore the evidence and let the defendants go, even though they were involved in the dismemberment and disposal of two bodies? The Governor’s stance on public safety is insufficient and she should refrain from making statements about ongoing investigations. It would be more beneficial for the Governor to stick to commenting on subjects she is knowledgeable about.”
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