Multiple arrests were made Tuesday after the discovery of numerous body parts belonging to two victims were found on Long Island, according to multiple reports.
Investigators were questioning people in Amityville, New York, about the body parts found in Southards Pond Park last week, Newsday reported, citing unidentified law-enforcement sources. Multiple people were arrested early Tuesday following the execution of a search warrant to a home in Amityville, the sources told the outlet. Criminal charges are reportedly pending, the sources said.
At least two people were arrested after police spent the entire night at the house, ABC News reported. There were reportedly no remains found at the residence.
However, it was revealed Tuesday that additional human remains were found in a wooded area of West Babylon and at Bethpage State Park, the outlet noted. These remains are believed to belong to the same man and woman whose remains were found last week, according to Newday. (RELATED: Human Skeletal Remains Found Near Highway, Prompts Investigation).
UPDATE: Law enforcement sources said investigators are questioning several people who were arrested early Tuesday in connection with body parts found in a Babylon Village park last week. (Photo credit: James Carbone) https://t.co/vRKuRsnZ1U pic.twitter.com/0Fu90PLhO5
— Newsday (@Newsday) March 5, 2024
The wooded area is roughly three miles from the park where the other remains were found, Newsday reported. Bethpage State Park is approximately 12 miles away from the Southards Pond Park.
Initially, a human arm was discovered in the Babylon park on Feb. 29 by a group of kids. The teens were walking to school around 8:41 a.m. when they noticed a disembodied arm. Later, a police dog uncovered a leg under a pile of leaves, the New York Post reported. Another arm was found roughly 20 feet from where the first arm was found, the outlet noted. The victim is reportedly a 53-year-old man whose name is being withheld, according to Newsday.
The next day, a woman’s head was discovered at the same park, according to NBC News. A head, arm and leg were discovered at the park that police believe belong to a 59-year-old woman whose identity has yet to be revealed pending the next of kin notification, according to Newsday.
Authorities began investigating whether or not the incident was MS-13 gang-related, as they’re known to be active in that area, the New York Post reported Friday.
“These were brutal, vicious murders. MS 13 has been known to hack up bodies with machetes,” a law-enforcement source told the Post. “The bodies were also found near where the gang has committed other crimes.”
As of Tuesday, it’s unknown if the incident is gang-related.