A suspect was taken into custody for questioning Tuesday.
Human remains were found in a park near an elementary school on the South Shore of New York's Long Island last week, while additional body parts have been found Tuesday, leading to at least one person in custody for questioning, according to Suffolk Police Department.
The initial remains were found just before 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 29, when Suffolk Police tell Inside Edition Digital that a student was walking to school and discovered a severed left arm in the South Shore town of Babylon.
Cops say the student called her father, who then responded to the scene and called 911.
“Following an investigation by Homicide Squad detectives, a cadaver dog from the Canine Unit discovered a leg in a mound of leaves on the western side of the park near Graham Place. The same dog continued searching the east side of the park and found a right arm approximately 20 feet away from the original discovery of the left arm. The remains found on the eastern edge of the park appear to be male,” cops said in a press release.
On Tuesday, cops say additional remains have been found in West Babylon as well as in the nearby town of Bethpage. The towns are about 20 minutes by car from one another.
Police also searched a home in neighboring Amityville and did not uncover remains.
A suspect was taken into custody for questioning Tuesday.
Cops say that their investigation revealed the human remains belonged to at least two victims, and NBC News reports that cops are looking into whether a love triangle was the motive.
“The Suffolk County Medical Examiner has determined that a severed head, right arm, left leg from the knee down, and a right upper leg found by a Suffolk County Police Canine Section dog at the western side of Southards Pond Park on February 29 are believed to be of an adult woman,” police said in a press release. “The Suffolk County Homicide Squad are attempting to identify the woman as well as the man whose body parts were also found last night. The search has been completed.”
The names of the victims have not been released but Suffolk Police tell Inside Edition Digital that a male victim was said to be 53 years old and a female victim was said to be 59 years old. Cops also say that the couple had a last-known address in Yonkers, New York, “however, it is unclear when they last resided there.”
Police assure the public that while the investigation is ongoing, this is an isolated incident.
The South Shore towns of Amityville, Babylon and West Babylon, where the police have been investigating, are neighboring towns of Massapequa Park, where accused Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann resided. Heuermann is currently facing charges in the murder of at least four women and has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
The news of the recent remains found in Bethpage, Babylon and West Babylon had many locals speculating and put a community that is already on alert further on edge. However, the speculation was unfounded.
Detectives are asking anyone with information in the remains found to contact the Homicide Squad at 631-852-6392 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-Tips. All calls will remain anonymous.
