Suspect arrested in dismembered N.Y. woman murder case

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. - A Brooklyn woman has been arrested in the death of a woman whose partially dismembered remains were recovered on Long Island earlier this month, reports CBS New York.

Police said Wednesday that 42-year-old Leah Cuevas is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 27-year-old Chinelle Latoya Thompson Browne, also of Brooklyn, according to the station.

Authorities confirmed that a partially dismembered torso discovered at a parking lot July 8 in Bay Shore on Long Island was that of the victim, a mother of four. Browne's family said she was last seen July 5.

Shortly after the body was found, severed arms were discovered at two nearby homes in Hempstead just one day apart. On July 17, the station reports a human head was found in front of a row of bushes outside a home in the same Nassau County town. Police have not yet confirmed whether any of the recovered Hempstead remains belong to Browne.

According to CBS New York, Cuevas lived in the same building as the victim in Brooklyn although authorities have not revealed if the women knew one another.

Neighbors told the station Browne kept to herself and was last seen leaving her apartment in a livery cab after fighting with her landlord.

"[Browne] came outside, her hair was all a mess. She put it in a ponytail, walked down the block, got in a cab and nobody saw her again," said neighbor Anthony Smith.

Cuevas is currently in custody and is due in court Thursday morning, according to the station.