Body Of LI Woman Found In Suitcase Was Bound By Cord: Suffolk DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — The man charged in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found in a suitcase in Huntington was indicted Wednesday; he pleaded not guilty, the Suffolk County DA's Office told Patch.

Ronald Schroeder, 41, of Huntington Station, was indicted on a charge of concealment of a human corpse after the body of Seikeya Jones, 31, who is without a known address, was discovered inside a suitcase in Huntington, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said Wednesday. Schroeder also faces multiple drug charges.

"This case is immensely troubling," Tierney said in a news release. "Ms. Jones and her family deserve a full investigation. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that the victim and her family receive justice."

Suffolk police officers responded to a call for suspicious activity and a "foul odor" outside an apartment building on Nassau Road on Sept. 2, according to court documents. Officers found Jones's partially decomposed remains inside a suitcase on the side of the building, officials said. She was found with her wrists and ankles bound with a cord, authorities said.

Her cause of death has not yet been determined and the results of an autopsy are pending, the DA's Office stated.

Jones was last seen alive on Aug. 29 inside the building with Schroeder, who also rented an
apartment there, prosecutors said.

Bungee cords and a black cord matching materials found on Jones's body were found during a search of Schroeder's apartment, which revealed a "strong odor of human remains," prosecutors
said at the arraignment, Newsday reported.

After Jones was found, police were unable to locate Schroeder for questioning until he resurfaced in Manhattan, authorities said.

Schroeder was found at Penn Station after he showed up to the LIRR Lost & Found Office to claim his backpack, which he had left on a Long Island Railroad train, investigators said. Schroeder’s backpack contained quantities of both methamphetamine and GHB — or "liquid ecstasy" — prosecutors said.

He was arrested and charged with both the narcotics charges and the concealment of Jones's corpse, the DA said. Schroeder was not charged with causing Jones's death, court records show.

Schroeder was indicted with concealment of a human corpse, third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance: meth with intent to sell, fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance: methamphetamine, and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, the DA said.

Schroeder was ordered held on $500,000 cash, $1M bond or $5M partially-secured bond while his case is heard. Schroeder is due back in court on Oct. 16 and faces up to nine years in prison if convicted on the top count.

He is being represented by Christopher Gioe, who could not be immediately reached for comment.