Chicago police and detectives overnight continued to investigate the chilling circumstances that began with a missing person's report earlier this week, and ended Tuesday with the gruesome discovery of human remains inside a freezer at a boarding house in the city's West Ridge neighborhood.
According to officials, the death is being investigated as a homicide. The victim was the home's landlord, police say, and the suspect, who is currently in police custody, is one of the home's renters.
“It’s horrible. It just sends chills down my spine,” neighbor Phoebe Salzmann said.
Around 7 p.m. Monday, police were called to the 5900 block of North Washtenaw for a wellbeing check after a tenant reported that they hadn't seen their 55-year-old female landlord.
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During that check, police said they found human remains in the freezer of the home, chief of detectives Brandan Deenihan said Tuesday. Officials believe that the remains are that of the 55-year-old woman, who has not yet been formally identified.
“The suspect…lived in the residence,” chief of detectives Brendan Deenihan said. ‘The other tenants were afraid. The suspect had recently called a tow truck and carried a heavy bag out to the tow truck.”
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Police say that tow truck transported the suspect, along with a large plastic bag to Foster Beach. That’s where authorities say they found bloody rags and more human remains inside of a garbage can.
“The tow truck driver actually gave us a location and explained the person he was transporting actually pulled a knife on him, so officers responded to that scene and placed the suspect into custody,” Deenihan said.
Salzmann says that she knew the landlord and described her as “very friendly.”
“Everyone knew her. She was very friendly,” she said. “When we first moved in, she’d come over to welcome us.”
“There’s never been any issues in this neighborhood before,” Andy, a neighbor who lives near the boarding house, said.
Chicago police have not yet released the identity of the suspect or the victim.
