New information was released Tuesday about a murder investigation that began Monday evening after Chicago police discovered the remains of a woman inside her home freezer. Brendan Deenihan, Chief of Detectives for the CPD, told reporters that investigators have “a long way to go.”
According to Deenihan, the victim rented out rooms in her home to others, and one of those residents called 911 on Monday evening after the woman went missing.
Police initially filed a missing person report, but they returned to the home in the 5900 block of North Washtenaw a short time after another 911 caller reported seeing blood inside the house, a source said.
During the second visit, police learned that some residents had grown afraid of a woman living in the home, Deenihan said. That woman had called a tow truck to remove her vehicle from the area and was also seen carrying a heavy bag to the tow truck, he said.
Before the tow truck driver left, a quick-thinking resident exchanged phone numbers with him and gave the number to police. Cops contacted the driver and located him in West Ridge. The suspect was still with him.
Deenihan said the suspect had threatened the tow truck driver with a knife after he picked her up.
Meanwhile, police discovered that the suspicious woman had thrown a large plastic bag into a trash can near the lakefront in the 5100 block of North Simonds Drive. Officers found bloody towels and other items in the trash can, which was taken to the medical examiner’s office in its entirety, Deenihan said.
The medical examiner initially listed the Simonds Drive address as the location of the woman’s death. In a Tuesday afternoon update, the office said no human remains were found at that location.
Back at the woman’s home, however, police found body parts in a freezer, Deenihan said. The officers left the house and secured a search warrant.
Deenihan said the suspect refused to speak with police after they arrested her on a charge of aggravated assault for threatening the tow truck driver.