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Update:
The 59-year-old woman whose body parts were located in various locations on Long Island on Feb. 29 and March 5 has been identified as Donna R. Conneely, whose last known address is in Yonkers, Westchester County, police said.
“The identity of the male is still pending confirmation by the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner,” Suffolk Police said.
Both victims lived at the same address in Yonkers, police have said, though the nature of their relationship is unknown. Below is our prior coverage of the case:
4 charged with concealing corpse, evidence tampering in LI body parts case
MARCH 6
Four people were charged Wednesday with concealing a human corpse and tampering with evidence in connection with the discovery of body parts in parks on Long Island.
The four — Amanda Wallace, 40, Jeffrey Mackey, 38, Steven Brown, 44, all of Amityville, and Alexis Nieves, 33, who police said is homeless — have not been charged with killing the victims, identified as a 53-year-old man and a 59-year-old woman. All four defendants pleaded not guilty to hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence and concealing a human corpse and were released without bail.
According to police, a girl walking to school last Thursday found a severed arm on the side of the road at Southards Pond Park in Babylon. 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, an arm and parts of two legs. Those remains appeared to be from the 59-year-old woman, police said.
Additional remains found Tuesday in nearby West Babylon and at Bethpage State Park were from the same two people, police said. The victims’ names have not been released.
The four defendants were arrested after police executed a search warrant at the Amityville home that Wallace, Mackey and Brown share.
Newsday reported that during separate arraignments in Suffolk County District Court on Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney Frank Schroeder said authorities have significant evidence against the four, including meat cleavers, butcher knives, blood and video surveillance. He did not specify where the weapons and blood were found.
The suspects were later released without bail but with GPS tracking devices, according to multiple reports.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney released the following statement, following the news of the release:
“It is our understanding that the Suffolk County Police Department is still investigating these murders. Unfortunately, due to “Bail Reform” passed by the New York State Legislature in 2019, charges relating to the mutilation and disposal of murdered corpses are no longer bail-eligible, meaning my prosecutors cannot ask for bail.
“This is yet another absurd result thanks to “Bail Reform” and a system where the Legislature in Albany substitutes their judgment for the judgment of our judges and the litigants in court. We will work with the Suffolk County Police Department to resolve this investigation as soon as possible and implore our Legislature to make common sense fixes to this law.”
Mackey’s defense attorney, John Halvorson, said, “We look forward to fighting these charges.”
Brown’s attorney, Ira Weissman, said, “Steven Brown didn’t kill anybody.” Weissman said he could not comment on the specific charges Brown faces, as he has not seen the evidence.
Messages seeking comment were left with Wallace’s and Nieves’ attorneys.
Top: Homicide detectives in Babylon on Feb. 29. (Credit: GLI File Photo/Mike White)
