By Charlie Jones
A grim haul of human remains including two severed heads were found in a wooded area after a girl spotted a detached arm while walking to school.
The remains found on Tuesday in a state park on Long Island, near New York City, are believed to be from the same victims as the limbs and other body parts found last week at a different park, police said. Police have take four people into custody after using a battering ram to smash their way through the front door of a house on Railroad Avenue.
Police identified the victims as a 53-year-old man and a 59-year-old woman who shared a last known address in Yonkers, north of New York City, more than 30 miles (48 kilometres) from where their remains were discovered. The discoveries were made in nearby West Babylon and at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, about 7.5 miles (12 kilometres) away from where remains were found in Babylon last Thursday and Friday, Suffolk County police said.
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Last Thursday, a girl walking to school found a severed arm on the side of the road at Southards Pond Park in Babylon, about 25 miles (40 kilometres) east of New York City. Her father called 911 and 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 police 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.
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Det. Lt. Kevin Beyrer, the commanding officer of Suffolk's homicide Unit, said the remains found in Babylon did not appear to have been outside very long, possibly a few days or hours.
Police did not identify what types of remains were found Tuesday and said they were withholding the names of the victims while their families were notified.
Also Tuesday, police said they had executed a search warrant a day earlier at a home in Amityville, a few miles west of Babylon, and that no human remains were located during the search.
The male vicitm's tattooed left arm, which is missing fingertips, could mean the victim has a criminal record, according to sources. Removing the fingertips could prevent police identifying him but officers hope the tattoos can be used instead.
Police said the deaths appear to be an isolated incident with no threat to the public. Still, the 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.
