A 45-year-old Brooklyn woman, Heather Stines, has been detained by police after a severed head and various body parts were discovered in her apartment's freezer.
The horrifying find was made on Monday night following a tip received by law enforcement officials.
Brooklyn Woman's Freezer Discovered Containing Severed Head, Body Parts
Authorities were led to the fourth-floor unit on Nostrand Avenue in Flatbush after a CrimeStoppers tip hinted at the presence of a possible body being stored in the apartment. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny revealed that during the investigation, officers stumbled upon the macabre discovery concealed within a taped-off freezer. The refrigerator had been sealed to contain the odor emanating from the remains.
"We have a head. We have some limbs," stated Chief Kenny during a press conference on Tuesday. The police are currently working to identify the deceased individual, whose cause of death will be officially determined by the city Medical Examiner's office.
Heather Stines, the occupant of the apartment, was detained on unrelated warrants and later hospitalized due to complaints of illness. Investigators express a desire to speak with her, though as of Tuesday afternoon, they have been unable to do so as she remains hospitalized.
While Stines has not yet been charged, DNA testing is underway to ascertain the identity of the victim and potentially link the crime to Stines. NYPD confirmed their response to the Nostrand Avenue apartment on Monday at 7:10 p.m., discovering an unconscious and unresponsive male inside.
Stines' elderly aunt, Amy Stines, expressed shock and disbelief at the news. She disclosed that her niece had struggled with drug addiction for years and had moved to Brooklyn to escape her problems. Heather lived with her husband, Nicholas McGee, who is currently incarcerated in Virginia on unrelated charges, according to New York Post.
Brooklyn Family's Drug Tragedy
Heather Stines' sister-in-law, Catherine McGee, revealed that both Heather and Nicholas were known drug users, having faced multiple arrests. Stines reportedly relapsed after the tragic death of one of her daughters due to a drug overdose.
Neighbors shared accounts of Stines' apartment being burglarized multiple times, indicating her struggles with addiction. One resident, Darrell, acknowledged her drug addiction but expressed disbelief at the gruesome discovery, stating, "I never expected her to have a head in the freezer."
Stines' troubled past includes losing custody of her children, according to her aunt, who explained that Child Protective Services intervened due to neglect. Despite the troubled history, Amy Stines described her niece as "sweet" but acknowledged the challenges of dealing with her erratic behavior.
The horrific crime took place in a building in Flatbush that presents a bleak image of abandonment, with boarded-up stores and graffiti covering the walls. The neighborhood is still processing Heather Stines' horrific find in her apartment and the unsettling circumstances surrounding it in the wake of this terrible news.
The residents are left attempting to make sense of the unbelievable events that took place inside the seemingly normal building on Nostrand Avenue as the investigations go on, NY Breaking reported.
