Current:Home > FinanceThey found a head in her fridge. She blamed her husband. Now she's charged in the case. -TruePath Finance
They found a head in her fridge. She blamed her husband. Now she's charged in the case.
View
Date:2025-04-24 03:22:38
A New York City woman previously taken for a psychiatric evaluation after police said they found human remains including a man's head in a taped up refrigerator in her home was due in court Monday after being arrested in connection to the grisly discovery.
Heather Stines, 45, of Brooklyn, is charged with concealment of a human corpse after body parts were discovered at her apartment in the city's in East Flatbush neighborhood in the city's southeast area, a New York City Police Department spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY on Monday.
According to police, officers responded to the home for a welfare check just after 7 p.m. on Jan 22 and "observed an unconscious and unresponsive unidentified male inside the apartment."
Paramedics pronounced the man dead on scene, police said, and as of Monday, the New York City' medical examiner's office had not yet determined the man's cause of death, a police spokesperson told USA TODAY.
The case also remained active, police said, and remained under investigation.
Human remains found in freezer:Police investigating homicide after human remains found in freezer of Colorado home
Victim identified through fingerprints as Kawsheen Gelzer
Officials confirmed the victim was identified by the medical examiner through fingerprints as Kawsheen Gelzer.
Online records show Gelzer was age 40 when he died and was a registered sex offender.
'Without ventilation and without water':Man opens emergency exit door on plane, walks out onto wing before takeoff
A tip, a welfare check and an arrest
Police have not yet said how long they believe the body had been in the fridge.
Officers initially responded to a tip from someone who said they saw what appeared to be a human head in a black bag in the refrigerator of Stines' home, according to court records and information obtained by the New York Times and the Associated Press.
USA TODAY has requested the police report from the Kings County Criminal Court clerk's office, where online records show it was filed.
When officers visited Stines' home, the Associated Press reported, they found multiple black bags in the refrigerator and freezer full of body parts.
"The refrigerator was taped shut at the time," Joseph E. Kenny, NYPD chief of detectives, said after the find the Times reported and − according to the police report, Stines pleaded with the officers not to open it."
According to police, Stines told detectives the body had been in the fridge "for several months" and belonged to a man who her husband had an argument with over drugs in September, the Times reported. The woman allegedly told investigators her husband killed the man and put his body in their refrigerator.
Two days after the body was found, on Jan. 24, police said they arrested Wells in connection to the finding.
After her arrest, Stine was taken for a psychiatric evaluation at a local hospital then was later booked into jail.
So far no other arrests made in case
As of Monday, police told USA TODAY no other arrests had been made in the case.
The suspect's 79-year-old aunt, Aime Stines, told the Times her niece moved to New York City around eight years ago after her father died and had "a history of drug use but never appeared to be violent."
“There is no way − I couldn’t believe it,” Stines told the Times she recalled after her niece’s arrest. “Heather was always smiling and talking. She has this voice where she talks so fast that I can hardly understand her. She always seemed happy.”
A $50,000 bond and a not guilty plea
Court records show Stines pleaded not guilty to the charge in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Jan. 25 and was set to reappear in court Monday in connection to the case.
Records also show Stines remained in custody on $50,000 bond on Monday.
USA TODAY has reached out to Stines' attorney.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
veryGood! (76)
Related
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- Georgia’s former first lady and champion of literacy has school named in her honor
- The new 2025 Lincoln Navigator is here and it's spectacular
- 'Who steals trees?': Video shows man casually stealing trees from front yards in Houston
- Average rate on 30
- GM delays Indiana electric vehicle battery factory but finalizes joint venture deal with Samsung
- Bristol Palin Details “Gut-Wrenching” Way Her 15-Year-Old Son Tripp Told Her He Wanted to Live With Dad
- BaubleBar Labor Day Blowout Sale: Save 80% With $8 Zodiac Jewelry, $10 Necklaces, $15 Disney Deals & More
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Harris and Walz are kicking off a 2-day bus tour in Georgia that will culminate in Savannah rally
Ranking
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- CDC reports 5 more deaths, new cases in Boar's Head listeria outbreak since early August
- Channing Tatum Accuses Ex Jenna Dewan of Delay Tactic in Divorce Proceedings
- NCT member Taeil leaves K-pop group following sexual offense allegations
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Sports Reporter Malika Andrews Marries Dave McMenamin at the Foot of Golden Gate Bridge
- The new 2025 Lincoln Navigator is here and it's spectacular
- 'Robin Hood in reverse': Former 'Real Housewives' star convicted of embezzling $15 million
Recommendation
Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
The best 2024 SUVs for towing: all sizes, all capability
Polaris Dawn mission: What to know about SpaceX launch and its crew
Want Thicker, Fuller Hair? These Are the Top Hair Growth Treatments, According to an Expert
Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
Paralympic Games opening ceremony starts the final chapter on a long summer of sport in Paris
Workers are breaching Klamath dams, which will let salmon swim freely for first time in a century
Tori Spelling Shares Why She's Dressing 7-Year-Old Son Beau in School Clothes Before Bed