A New York man has been arrested in connection with the discovery of a woman’s remains found inside a suitcase near a Long Island apartment building in early September.
Suffolk County authorities discovered the body of 31-year-old Seikeya Jones in a suitcase in Huntington on September 3 after responding to a 911 call reporting “suspicious activity” in a wooded area near an apartment building, ABC 7 NY reports. Following the investigation, police arrested 41-year-old Ronald Schroeder on September 6 and charged him with concealment of a human corpse.
According to local police Jones had been missing since August 16. Jones leaves behind a 4-year-old son. Jones’ mother, Yolando Terrell, described the heartbreaking moment she learned of her daughter’s death. “I’m looking for her, and when I come back from vacation, I see on the news that my daughter is in a suitcase,” Terrell told ABC 7 NY. “Someone has to give me some answers.”
Jones’ family also revealed that she struggled with mental illness and was homeless at the time of her death. At a vigil held in her honor, loved ones remembered Jones for her infectious energy and her signature smile, earning her the nickname “Cheese.”
“Every time you looked at her, she had that big bright smile,” Terrell said during the vigil. Jones’ sister, Shasia Correnthi, expressed anger and grief over the circumstances of her death. “My sister had a family standing beside her,” Correnthi told ABC 7. “Her mental illness does not give anyone the right to treat her like she was nothing.”
The cause of Jones’ death is still under investigation. Schroeder, who has pleaded not guilty to the charge, is being represented by the Suffolk County Legal Aid Society as police continue their investigation.