UPDATE Wakefield: Man & Two Women Arrested following Discovery of Semi-Decomposed Body of Woman Last Month

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A POLICE CRIME scene unit is seen parked in the cul-de-sac at 4438 Edson Avenue in the Wakefield section of The Bronx, where a semi-decomposed body of a woman was discovered in a bin on Friday afternoon, June 9, 2023.
Photo by Síle Moloney

Police said they have arrested a man and two women following the discovery last month of the semi-decomposed body of a woman at the end of a quiet residential block in the Wakefield section of The Bronx.

As reported, an NYPD spokesperson said that on Friday, June 9, at around 12.16 p.m., police from the 47th Precinct responded to a 911 call regarding “an aided” [person] at the rear of 4438 Edson Avenue.

A FENCE ENCLOSING a residential home at 4438 Edson Avenue in the Wakefield section of The Bronx separates the home from a crime scene where a semi-decomposed body of a woman was discovered in a bin on Friday afternoon, June 9, 2023.
Photo by Síle Moloney

“Upon arrival, officers observed an unconscious and unresponsive female, semi-decomposed inside a plastic bin,” the spokesperson said. “EMS responded and pronounced the female deceased at the scene. The City’s medical examiner will determine the cause of death.”

Another NYPD spokesperson later said at the time that the incident had not immediately been classified as a homicide and said the identification of the deceased was pending proper family notification.

According to police sources, the victim was estimated to be in her thirties.

AN OVERGROWN PATH through Bissel Gardens/Bissel Avenue in the Wakefield section of The Bronx leads to Grace Avenue close to a crime scene at 4438 Edson Avenue, where a semi-decomposed body of a woman was discovered in a bin on Friday afternoon, June 9, 2023.

The area where the body was discovered is a cul-de-sac of sorts, located on the leafy end of 4438 Edson Avenue, adjacent to an overgrown pathway / track that runs from Barnes Avenue to Baychester Avenue through Bissel Gardens, a litter-ridden, wooded green area which some local residents said they walk through to get to a local store on busier Baychester Avenue.

A POLICE CRIME scene unit is seen parked next to the cul-de-sac at 4438 Edson Avenue in the Wakefield section of The Bronx, where a semi-decomposed body of a woman was discovered in a bin on Friday afternoon, June 9, 2023. An older-looking street sign appears to indicate the cul-de-sac area is named Bissel Avenue.
Photo by Síle Moloney

The track is bordered on one side by a high wall, on the far side of which is the MTA subway depot / yard and maintenance facility. The last stop on the 2 train is located nearby at 241st Street.

TWO APPARENT PLAINCLOTHS detectives examine an overgrown pathway at Bissel Avenue close to a crime scene at 4438 Edson Avenue in the Wakefield section of The Bronx, where a semi-decomposed body of a woman was discovered in a bin on Friday afternoon, June 9, 2023.
Photo by Síle Moloney

Police said that on Wednesday, July 5, at 2 p.m., Gilree Scott, a 67-year-old Bronx man from Furman Avenue in Wakefield was arrested in connection with the incident and charged with concealment of a human corpse.

In addition, Dorine Plowden, a 62-year-old Bronx woman, also of the same Furman Avenue address in Wakefield, and Maxine Rodriguez, a 59-year-old Bronx woman, also of the same Furman Avenue address in Wakefield, were each charged with concealment of a human corpse.

THE BODY OF a semi-decomposed woman was discovered in a bin by these rocks on Friday afternoon, June 9, 2023, next to the cul-de-sac at 4438 Edson Avenue / Bissel Avenue in the Wakefield section of The Bronx.
Photo by Síle Moloney

The deceased was identified as Lauri Duffy, a 31-year-old woman from Keyport, NJ.

We asked the NYPD if the incident has since been classified a homicide and they said the medical examiner will determine the cause of death and “the investigation is active and ongoing.”

A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

A POLICE REPRESENTATIVE of the NYPD crime scene unit is seen talking on the phone at a cul-de-sac at 4438 Edson Avenue / Bissel Avenue in the Wakefield section of The Bronx, a crime scene where a semi-decomposed body of a woman was discovered in a bin on Friday afternoon, June 9, 2023.
Photo by Síle Moloney

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.

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