In the hours before a Chicago woman's remains were found dismembered inside the first-floor kitchen freezer of her boarding house, tenant's reported receiving a strange text that would ultimately lead to a 911 call and a missing person report.
News of the text message came during a bond hearing for one of the boarding house residents, Sandra Kolalou, who is accused of killing landlord Frances Walker and dismembering her body following a dispute over an eviction notice.
During the hearing Thursday, prosecutors said tenants reported hearing loud bangs and screaming between Kolalou and Walker following the notice.
"Other tenants heard loud bangs and the victim and the defendant arguing on the first floor," said Assistant State's Attorney Anne McCord Rodgers. "The basement tenant heard the defendant screaming and what sounded like a dish breaking."
In the hours that followed, tenants said they heard "scratching noises" in the home's first-floor common area. Then, some received perplexing text messages from Walker's phone, prosecutors said.
The messages stated that Kolalou would care for Walker's dog and anyone who moves out going forward should give Kolalou the keys, according to prosecutors.
"Given the issues between the offender and the [victim], coupled with the eviction notice, the tenants found these texts extremely unusual," a proffer read in court stated.
Walker's phone was later found in Kolalou's bedroom, officials said in court.
Tenants ultimately called police following the altercation and strange messages.
Authorities said they were called around 7 p.m. to the home in the 5900 block of North Washtenaw in Chicago's West Ridge neighborhood for a wellbeing check, after a tenant reported that Walker hadn't been seen and wasn't responding to texts.
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“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.”
At the time officers arrived, Kolalou was seen carrying garbage bags and allowed police to search her room, prosecutors said. When officers did not find anything, Kolalou was allowed to leave with the tow truck she had called to take her, and the garbage bags, to Foster Avenue Beach, where she said her car had broken down.
Once there, the driver reported Kolalou dumped the garbage bags in a trash can at the beach before needing to take her car to a mechanic, prosecutors said.
After attempting to get her car serviced at multiple locations, prosecutors allege Kolalou paid the driver with Walker's credit card before growing upset that he wouldn't take her to another shop. That's when they say she pulled a knife on the driver, who defended himself with a stick until police arrived.
The driver then told police about the garbage bags he claimed Kolalou dumped near the beach.
“The tow truck driver actually gave us a location and explained the person he was transporting actually pulled a knife, so officers responded to that scene and placed the suspect into custody,” Deenihan said.
Authorities said they later found bloody rags inside that garbage can. According to the Cook County Medical Examiner, the contents of the bag did not contain human remains.
"We learned this individual dumped a large plastic bag in a garbage can at Foster Beach and detectives were able to go to that garbage can and see that there were some bloody towels," Deenihan said. "Based on that evidence, detectives were able to go into the residence and they eventually discovered human remains in a freezer."
Authorities said they found a head and severed limbs inside the freezer, which were determined to belong to Walker. Her torso, however, remains missing, prosecutors said.
"In the first-floor kitchen freezer, police discovered the victim's severed head, dismembered arms and dismembered legs," Rodgers said. "The victim's torso has not been located at this time."
Kolalou, 36, was ordered held without bond in court Thursday, with Judge Kelly Marie McCarthy saying she poses a "real and present threat."
She was charged this week with first-degree murder, felony concealing a homicidal death, and misdemeanor aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, court documents say.
Kolalou maintained her innocence in court Tuesday. She was seen holding her head as the judge ordered her held without bond.
She is next expected to appear in court on Oct. 31.
According to family and friends, Walker was a beloved member of her church community. She was also a piano accompanist at the Evanston School of Ballet.
They described her as a nice, outgoing woman who rented rooms to anyone who needed a place to stay.
"It was horrible," Walker's niece, Lorilee, said. "And knowing what happened it’s even, you can’t just explain it. You never thought it would happen to your family.”
