The killing of Michelle Montgomery, a 39-year-old mother of four, has left a family shattered and a community searching for answers after she was found dismembered and placed into garbage bags inside a Brooklyn public housing building.
Montgomery was last seen alive Saturday night while out in Williamsburg. At 11:19 p.m., she posted a short Facebook video of herself dancing at Mama Taco, smiling and enjoying the night. Friends say the video, now haunting in hindsight, raised immediate concern because the people seen with her were unfamiliar. “We have no idea who that is,” one close friend told WPIX, adding that Montgomery typically tagged the people she went out with.
Less than 12 hours later, the joy of that final post gave way to horror. On Sunday morning, a New York City Housing Authority employee working at the Borinquen Houses noticed a garbage bag in the trash compactor room that was unusually heavy. When the bag was opened, authorities say Montgomery’s dismembered body was discovered inside.
Officers with the New York Police Department responded to the scene shortly after 9:30 a.m. The NYPD later identified Montgomery as the victim and confirmed that no arrests have been made. The investigation remains ongoing.
Montgomery lived in Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood with her husband, Anthony Echevarria, and their children. Speaking to local news outlets, Echevarria said he trusted his wife and her judgment but could not understand how she ended up miles away in another neighborhood. “I trust how she moves,” he told News 12 Brooklyn. “I can’t understand why she was there.”
Overcome with grief, Echevarria pleaded for anyone with information to come forward. “Find out what really happened,” he told WPIX. “That could be the biggest help to bring the dude that chopped up my wife to justice.”
Friends and family describe Montgomery as devoted to her children and full of life, struggling to reconcile the woman they knew with the violence of her death. For them, the unanswered questions are as painful as the loss itself—who she was with, how her night ended, and who is responsible.
The city medical examiner conducted an examination Monday but has not yet released an official cause of death. As investigators continue their work, Montgomery’s loved ones say their focus remains on honoring her memory and demanding accountability.
“She was a mother first,” one friend said. “That’s what people need to remember.”
