The dismembered body parts of two people were found scattered around New York’s Long Island over the last few days and four people have been arrested – but the suspects have been let back out on the streets due to the state’s progressive bail reform laws, drawing sharp criticism from local officials.
The four suspects have been charged with concealment of a human corpse, hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence, the Suffolk County Police Department announced Wednesday.
Various body parts including a severed head, arms and legs belonging to a man and a woman from Yonkers in New York were found in Babylon over the last few days. The first gory discovery was made on Thursday by a girl on her way to school.
However, under the 2019 bail reform laws, the charges of mutilation and disposing of murdered corpses are no longer bail eligible, which means the prosecutors cannot ask for bail and the suspects cannot be remanded to custody, the Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement while ripping the law.
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"This is yet another absurd result thanks to ‘Bail Reform’ and a system where the Legislature in Albany substitutes their judgment for the judgment of our judges and the litigants in court," Tierney said.
"We will work with the Suffolk County Police Department to resolve this investigation as soon as possible and implore our Legislature to make common sense fixes to this law."
The suspects, Steven Brown, 44, Jeffrey Mackey, 38, and Amanda Wallace, 40, all of 25 Railroad Ave. in Amityville were arrested by the Homicide Squad detectives and charged, as was Alexis Nieves, 33, who is homeless.
All four suspects were placed on supervised release and are required to wear a GPS anklet, report to probation once a week, remain in Suffolk County and surrender their passports, Fox News has learned. They are scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on March 6.
Police searched the home at 25 Railroad Ave on Monday, the same day they found more body parts belonging to the two victims in a wooded area across from 103 Lakeway Drive in West Babylon, while remains were also discovered at Bethpage State Park. No body parts were found at the home.
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New York State Senator Dean Murray, a Republican, also slammed the "catch and release" of the suspects as "just another in a long line of examples of the Democrats so-called criminal justice reforms gone wrong."
"In what universe is this making Long Islanders safer?" Murray fumed via statement.
"This is another prime example of why the state legislature and the Governor, MUST, reverse dangerous policies like, "Bail Reform," "Raise the Age," "Less is More," "Clean Slate," etc. and get back to giving law enforcement the tools necessary to keep our communities safe."
Newly elected Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said that the law has resulted in those charged with dismembering and placing body parts in the community to walk free without posting any bail.
"This is outrageous, and completely unacceptable in a civilized society, when our prosecutors are handcuffed and those charged with this heinous crime are mandated by the state to go free," Romaine said in a statement.
"Despite the incredible work by the Suffolk County Police Department and our District Attorney Ray Tierney the failed 2019 NYS Bail Laws continue to put the public at risk. These laws must be changed immediately, and I will support the law enforcement community in any efforts to force change in Albany to make Suffolk County a safer place to live."
The series of gruesome discoveries began Thursday morning when a young girl on her way to school came across a severed arm on the side of a road on the east side of Southards Pond Park.
It led to a police search where more body parts were found, including a right arm and a leg belonging to the male.
Fox News' Henry Nacarri contributed to this report.
