A New York woman whose dismembered remains were discovered inside a plastic bag over the weekend was reportedly in a cheerful mood the last time her husband saw her.
The victim was identified as Michelle Montgomery, a 39-year-old mother of four.
On Sunday, Feb. 1, officers with the New York Police Department responded to a report of “an unconscious person” at a public housing complex in Brooklyn. Investigators later found Montgomery’s remains in the building’s basement, according to police.
A law enforcement official not authorized to speak publicly told The New York Times that Montgomery had been dismembered, and her remains were located inside a plastic bag in a trash compactor.
As investigators work to piece together what happened, Montgomery’s family has shared details of their final contact with her.
Anthony Echevarria, Montgomery’s husband and the father of her four children — ages 19, 12, 11 and 10 months — said she appeared upbeat on Saturday night, ABC 7 reported.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/Anthony-Echevarria-Michelle-Montgomery-020526-176ec4e183b8483b876244236ad9488c.jpg)
“She left this house vibrant, happy and alive,” he told the outlet.
Echevarria told News 12 that his wife had gone out with friends. He also told PIX 11 that he did not know which friends she was with.
Montgomery’s sister told the Times that she received a brief FaceTime call from her on Saturday evening, with music playing in the background.
Serenity Montgomery said the call came around 10 p.m. and ended after about a second, leaving her unsure whether it was accidental or intentional.
A little more than an hour later, Michelle posted a video on social media in which she appeared dancing with two other people, her friends told PIX 11.
No arrests have been made as of Thursday, the NYPD said, and Montgomery’s family says they are desperate for answers.
“We will get justice,” Echevarria said, according to News 12. “I promise that.”
