New York City Transit Police arrested a man in Pennsylvania Station with date rape drugs in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found stuffed inside a suitcase near a suburban Long Island apartment, authorities said.
Ronald Schroeder, 41, pleaded not guilty to charges of concealing a body and possession of methamphetamine and GHB during his arraignment Saturday, according to court records.
The victim, Sekeya Jones, 31, was found with her wrists and ankles bound inside a suitcase abandoned on Nassau Road in Huntington last week. Newsday reportedIt's about 40 miles east of the city, he said, citing prosecutors in court.
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Ron Schroeder, 41, is charged with abandoning a human body and possessing drugs after police found a woman's body in a suitcase near his apartment and arrested him in possession of the date rape drug GHB. (Suffolk County Sheriff's Office)
According to the paper, Schroeder lived in an apartment next to the suitcases and did not appear in court due to illness, but investigators allegedly smelled human bones in his home and the prosecution claimed he gave a “detailed confession.”
Judge Jennifer Henry ordered Schroeder held without bail and he is scheduled to appear again in court on Thursday.
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A Google Maps image shows the Nassau Road apartment building near where police allegedly found Sekeya Jones' body stuffed inside a suitcase. Resident Ronald Schroeder was arrested. (Google Maps)
Jones' family reported her missing on Aug. 16. ABC7 No. 7.
A 911 caller reported suspicious activity in the woods outside an apartment building in Huntington on Sept. 3, Suffolk County police said in a statement.
Responding officers found a suitcase, and investigators later identified Jones as the victim.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority police arrested Schroeder on an outstanding drug warrant around 2 p.m. Friday at Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, authorities said.
Entrance to Pennsylvania Station in New York City, New York, July 8, 2024. MTA police arrested Ronald Schroeder at the famous station in connection with the body of a woman found tied to a suitcase 40 miles away. (Beata Saurzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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He was later charged with possession of a controlled substance after gamma hydroxybutyrate, also known as the date rape drug GHB, was found in his possession.
Police had not yet released Jones' cause and manner of death as of Monday morning, and additional charges are likely to be filed.
