Authorities are working to determine how a 39-year-old woman ended up in the basement of a public housing building in New York City, where her dismembered corpse was found in a trash bag.
Questions are brewing surrounding the gruesome death of Michelle Montgomery, a mother of four, whose body parts were found on Feb. 1 in a plastic bag that was dumped into a trash compactor, according to The New York Times.
Her remains were discovered at the Boriqunen Public Houses in Brooklyn. Investigators are trying to determine how Montgomery ended up in that apartment building since she lives in a different building four miles away.
Her husband, Anthony Echevarria, told local news outlets that he’s also perplexed, knowing she has no ties to the Boriqunen Public Houses.
“I can’t understand why [my wife] was there,” Echevarria told News12 Brooklyn.
Echevarria shares four children with Montgomery, ages 19, 12, 11, and 10 months old.
He said she left their apartment to hang out with friends on Saturday, Jan. 31. She left home around 9:30 p.m. that night, roughly 12 hours before her body was found.
“She went about her Saturday normal, watched a couple of movies, talked on the phone,” Echevarria recalled. “Kids gave her a hug. [I said] ‘Babe, be safe. I love you.’ That was it.”
Family members recalled seeing her post to social media dancing at a local restaurant that night.
Montgomery’s sister, Serenity, said that she also received a FaceTime call from her sister at 10 p.m. and heard music in the background, but the call immediately cut off.
She said that she and her sister would typically hang out on the weekends or keep each other informed of their plans. The past weekend was the only time her sister didn’t check in, which she said was strange.
“I trust [Montgomery’s] judgement 110 [percent],” said Echevarria. “I don’t even look past it, go investigate the who, what, when, and why; because I trust her judgement. I trust how she moves.”
Montgomery’s family described her as a loving and beloved community member who was devoted to her children.
“Super mom, to make sure none of these kids wanted for nothing, that they always got what they needed. They always got what they wanted,” Echevarria told WABC.
“My sister was a loving, happy person,” Montgomery’s sister said. “I don’t know what would make someone do this to her.”
Authorities still have not released the cause or manner of death in Montgomery’s case.
The city’s medical examiner’s office did conduct an autopsy, but is still reviewing the results of additional testing and investigative details from the police.
No arrests have been made yet.
“We will get justice,” said Echevarria. “I promise that.”
