Victims found dismembered in Long Island identified as suspects’ ties revealed
The body parts were found strewn across multiple locations in Suffolk County between 29 February and 5 March
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Dismembered body parts found scattered across New York’s Long Island were identified by their families and police on Monday as a man and woman from Westchester.
Police in Suffolk County identified the female victim as 59-year-old Donna Conneely and family members identified the male victim as 53-year-old Malcolm Craig Brown.
The two shared a last known address in Yonkers, north of New York City, more than 30 miles from where their remains were discovered strewn across multiple locations of Suffolk County between 29 February and 5 March.
Four people have been charged in connection to the grisly case on charges of first-degree hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence, and concealment of a human corpse.
Steven Brown, 44, and Amanda Wallace, 40, appeared in court on Monday in Central Islip, where the judge ordered their GPS monitoring to remain in place.
Jeffrey Mackey, 38, and Alexis Nieves, 33, made their appearance on Friday. The foursome pleaded not guilty but could not be held due to the state’s lenient bail reform policies.
Coreen Bullock, who identified the male victim as her younger brother Malcolm Craig Brown, was emotional as she spoke to ABC7 following the hearing, upset over the bail reform.
“It’s absurd that four people could murder two people and just get to walk out like that,” Ms Bullock said. She also confirmed that Mr Brown, one of the accused, is their cousin.
“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.
In court during the hearing, the victim’s other sibling Charles Williams shouted in court to his cousin to do the right thing.
“We have parents, we’ve lost a brother, Steven Brown is our cousin and our parents and his mom, my aunt, they’re home, they’re suffering, they’re hurting and he has nothing to say,” Mr Williams said.
The body parts – including two severed heads – were found in multiple locations in Suffolk County between 29 February and 5 March.
The grisly discoveries were the latest shocking example of human remains being dumped in parks, woods and other open spaces on Long Island.
Over the years, they’ve included bodies of MS-13 gang violence victims and the infamous Gilgo Beach serial killings.
According to police, a girl walking to school on 29 February found a severed arm on the side of the road at Southards Pond Park in Babylon, about 25 miles east of New York City. Police later discovered another arm and a leg. All of those remains appeared to belong to the 53-year-old man, police said.
The next day, a cadaver dog located the head, arm and parts of two legs. Those remains appeared to be from the 59-year-old woman, police said.
Additional remains found on 5 March in nearby West Babylon and in a state park were from the same two people, police said.
The four suspects were arrested after police executed a search warrant at the Amityville home that Wallace, Mackey and Brown share.
Assistant District Attorney Frank Schroeder said authorities have significant evidence against the four, including meat cleavers, butcher knives, blood and video surveillance, according to Newsday.
Mr Brown’s attorney, Ira Weissman, said, “Steven Brown didn’t kill anybody.” Weissman said he could not comment on the specific charges Mr Brown faces, as he has not seen the evidence, The Associated Press reported.