By Hank Russell
The remains of a woman that were found in three separate locations, resulting in four arrests, has finally been identified as Donna R. Conneely, 59, of Yonkers. The remains of the second person, a male, have yet to be identified.
As previously reported by Long Island Life & Politics, the remains were first discovered on February 29 at approximately 8:40 a.m., when a student was walking to school and discovered a severed left arm on the west side of Siegel Boulevard at the eastern end of Southards Pond Park, between Park Avenue and Mason Avenue. 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 dog found at the scene a severed head, a right arm, a left leg from the knee down and a right upper leg. The remains were believed to belong to Conneely’s.
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 appear to be male.
The next day, human remains were located in a wooded area across from 103 Lakeway Drive in West Babylon and Bethpage State Park. The Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad and the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office processed the scene in West Babylon. New York State Police and the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office processed the scene at Bethpage State Park. It is believed the remains at both locations are connected to those found at Babylon the previous week.
On March 6, Suffolk Homicide Squad detectives charged Steven Brown, 44; Jeffrey Mackey, 38; and Amanda Wallace, 40, all of 25 Railroad Avenue in Amityville, and Alexis Nieves, 33, who is homeless, with first-degree hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence and concealment of a human corpse. Police had executed a search warrant on March 4 on the residence, but no remains were located during the search. Brown, Mackey, Wallace and Nieves were arraigned on March 6 at First District Court in Central Islip. However, prosecutors could not request bail for the defendants because the offenses were not bail-eligible.
Anyone with information on these victims is asked to contact the Homicide Squad at 631-852-6392 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-Tips. All calls will remain anonymous.