Body of Woman Found in NYC Housing Complex
A caretaker discovered the dismembered body of a 39-year-old woman in the basement of a New York City public housing building on Sunday, just a day after her sister received a FaceTime call from her.
The body was found in the Borinquen public housing complex shortly after 9:30 a.m. An employee from the New York City Housing Authority noticed a bag that felt “suspiciously heavy.” Upon opening it, they found the remains. Authorities reported that the bag was located inside a garbage compactor.
The victim was identified as Michelle Montgomery. The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office is performing an autopsy and will require additional test results and information from law enforcement to ascertain the cause of her death.
According to reports, Montgomery lived in the Gowanus Houses, which is a different public housing complex from where her body was discovered.
Anthony Echevarria, who claims to be Montgomery’s spouse and father of her four children, expressed his difficulty in coping with his wife’s death. “She was a loving mother,” he shared. “I don’t know what to do next. Everything is spinning at 100 miles an hour.” He noted that he last saw her late Saturday before heading out to spend time with friends, and he mentioned not having received any details from law enforcement about her death.
Serenity Montgomery, Michelle’s sister, also spoke out, expressing her disbelief that anyone would want to hurt her sister. “My sister was a loving, happy person,” she stated. “I don’t know what would make her do this.” She shared that they often made plans together for weekends and found it unusual not to hear from her sister that weekend. Serenity said she received a FaceTime call from Michelle around 10 p.m. on Saturday, during which she heard music before the call disconnected. She was unsure if the call was intentional.
Echevarria promised that they would seek justice for Montgomery’s death. As of now, no arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing. The New York City Police Department has been contacted but has not provided any immediate comments.
