Heather Stines: What we know about the Brooklyn woman arrested after severed head found inside freezer

A 45-year-old Brooklyn woman, Heather Stines, has been arrested after several body parts were recovered from a freezer at her residence, as per Daily Mail. Despite the arrest, she hasn't been formally charged as of now.

Trigger warning: The article contains some graphic details. Readers' discretion is advised.

Law enforcement officials arrived at Stines' Brooklyn residence, on Monday, after receiving a tip. The case is an ongoing investigation, and authorities are yet to reveal additional details.

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Police discovered that the Brooklyn apartment resident, Heather, had drug problems

As per Daily Mail, on Monday, January 22, at about 6.15 am local time, authorities were called to conduct a welfare check in a Brooklyn apartment. The caller claimed that they believed there was a dead body in the house. Upon arrival, authorities made a blood-curdling discovery in the apartment. There was a severed head along with other body parts inside a freezer.

According to family members, Heather and her husband often abused drugs and got arrested as well. Heather's aunt additionally said that she would earn from cleaning apartments. Her husband, Nicholas McGee, reportedly has been in prison in Virginia, since September 2023, after he tried cashing a fraudulent check.

Nicholas' sister-in-law Catherine McGee told to Daily Mail that Nicholas was expected to make his court appearance on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. She further said,

"He's going to be f**king devastated because he's coming out of jail and she's possibly going into jail, for a possible murder."

Catherine added that Heather relapsed "a year or two" back, as reported by Daily Star. This incident reportedly happened after she got to know that one of her daughters passed away from a drug overdose.

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Police revealed the identity of the remains in the Brooklyn house, to be that of a dealer

The freezer present in the fourth-floor unit on Nostrand Avenue in Flatbush was sealed well, to prevent the odor from spreading, as reported by The New York Post. The resident of the Brooklyn house, 45-year-old Heather Stines, was taken into custody immediately, however, no formal charges have been filed till the time this article is published.

A press conference was held by the NYPD, to discuss the horrific incident. The Messenger reported that during the conference, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said,

"We have a head. We have some limbs."

Police are yet to determine how the victim died. According to Stines' aunt, Amy Stines, the suspect lived with her husband, Nicholas. Amy has expressed shock after becoming aware of the horrific discovery made at the Brooklyn apartment. According to CrimeOnline, she said,

"The worst I know of is she lost her children because somebody reported them sleeping on the floor because she didn’t have any beds. She said she threw the beds away because of bed bugs. They slept on palettes."

As of Tuesday afternoon, investigating officers failed to talk to the suspect, since she had to be hospitalized due to some illness. DNA testing is being conducted to confirm if Heather is connected to the gruesome discovery. Police have also revealed the identity of the victim to be 40-year-old Kawsheen Gelzer, a dealer who allegedly went missing last year.