A 39-year-old Brooklyn mother of four died after falling into a trash chute system at a New York City public housing complex and being injured by a compactor, police and medical officials said, an incident that detectives now believe was an accident rather than a homicide.
The death drew swift attention because the woman’s remains were found in a bag in a basement trash area, a detail that initially raised fears of violence. Detectives said Friday that evidence gathered from the building, along with an autopsy finding that the injuries were consistent with a compactor, pointed away from criminal activity. The investigation remained open as authorities worked to confirm the woman’s final movements, how she entered the building, and what led to the fall.
The woman was identified by police and family members as Michelle Montgomery, who lived in Brooklyn with her partner and their children. Montgomery was reported missing after a night out and was later found in the trash compactor area of a New York City Housing Authority building, authorities said. Police said they were continuing to review building access, surveillance video and witness accounts to narrow the timeline of when she entered the complex and when she fell into the chute system.
According to investigators, Montgomery was last seen late Sat., Jan. 31, after leaving a bar with friends. Police said she later entered the Borinquen Public Houses complex in Williamsburg, an NYCHA development where she did not appear to live or have a known connection. Detectives said they believe she may have dropped her purse and tried to retrieve it near a trash chute door on an upper floor, and that she fell into the chute headfirst. Her purse and identification were recovered in the building, authorities said, as investigators pieced together what happened in the hours before her death.
Montgomery’s body was discovered the next morning, Sun., Feb. 1, when NYCHA workers were cleaning the compactor room in the building’s basement, police said. Authorities said workers found her remains in a bag used to collect refuse from the chute. Police said the discovery prompted an immediate investigation, including interviews with workers and residents, and a review of how the trash system in the building is operated and serviced. Early on, the circumstances led detectives to treat the case as suspicious until they could match physical evidence with the mechanics of the compactor and the woman’s injuries.
New York City’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner later determined the cause and manner of death, and detectives said those findings supported the conclusion that Montgomery was alive when the compactor operated and that her injuries were consistent with being crushed by that equipment. Police officials said there were no signs pointing to an assault or a struggle. Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said investigators saw no indication of criminal activity based on the evidence gathered to date, while acknowledging that detectives would keep reviewing witness statements and any available video.
Residents of the building told investigators they heard screams near the trash chute area around the time detectives believe Montgomery fell, but the noise did not prompt an immediate response, police said. Some residents told authorities they were not sure where the sound was coming from, or assumed it was from elsewhere in the building. Investigators said the building’s layout and the distance from individual apartments to common spaces can make it difficult to pinpoint the source of noises, especially late at night. Detectives said they were interviewing residents floor by floor and working to determine whether anyone saw Montgomery in the hallway or near the chute door.
Montgomery’s family said her death has left a sudden void in a household that was built around work, school and caring for children at different ages. Her partner, Anthony Echevarria, said she left home in a good mood and never returned. Relatives and friends described Montgomery as attentive to her children and proud of her role as a mother, and they said the family has struggled to reconcile the ordinary start of the night with the way it ended. In interviews, Echevarria said the family’s last contact with Montgomery included a call that seemed confusing, adding to the worry before she was found.
The location where Montgomery was found is part of the city’s vast public housing network, where many older buildings use trash chutes that feed into a central compactor room in the basement. In those systems, bags and loose refuse drop from chute openings on residential floors into a collection area where building staff handle or compact the waste. Investigators said they were examining exactly when the compactor operated and whether any safeguards or procedures were in place to prevent a person from entering the chute system. Police did not release details about the chute door’s condition or whether it appeared to have been forced open.
NYCHA did not immediately provide a detailed statement about building operations in the hours before Montgomery was found, but the authority’s role in the case has been central because employees discovered the body and because the trash system is part of routine building maintenance. Detectives said they were working with city agencies to understand the equipment involved and the typical schedule for servicing the compactor room. In cases involving industrial or building equipment, investigators often seek maintenance records, employee statements and any available safety reports to understand what happened and whether procedures were followed.
The investigation also focused on why Montgomery entered the building and how she reached an interior area. Police said they were reviewing whether she was let in by a resident, entered behind someone else, or gained access in another way. Detectives said the building has controlled entry but that access can vary depending on doors, visitors and daily traffic. Investigators said they were also checking whether Montgomery’s movements were captured on surveillance cameras in and around the complex and in nearby streets, which could help establish the time she arrived and the route she took within the building.
In the days after the discovery, word spread quickly online and among nearby residents, partly because early descriptions of the remains being found in a bag led to speculation about a violent crime. Police said they understood the concerns but urged caution as forensic work progressed. Detectives said the compactor system can produce injuries that appear severe and can complicate an early assessment at the scene, which is why investigators initially treated the case as potentially criminal. Once the autopsy and equipment review aligned, officials said, the evidence supported an accidental fall and compactor-related injuries.
Even with that conclusion, investigators said there were unanswered questions. Detectives said they were still trying to determine the moments leading up to the fall, including whether Montgomery was alone in the hallway, whether she had been following someone, or whether any interaction contributed to her being near the trash chute. Police also said they were reviewing whether Montgomery had been carrying items that could have fallen, and whether the chute door mechanism could have contributed to the incident. Investigators said the case would remain active until they could document the sequence of events with as much clarity as possible.
The death has renewed scrutiny of safety in older residential buildings that rely on trash chutes and basement compactor rooms. While the circumstances of Montgomery’s death appear rare, building safety experts have long said that mechanical systems in shared spaces can pose hazards if access is not controlled or if equipment is not properly maintained. City officials have not announced any immediate policy changes tied to this case, but detectives said they were coordinating with relevant agencies as they reviewed the mechanics of the incident. Any additional review by housing or safety regulators would likely follow on a separate track from the police investigation.
For Montgomery’s family, the focus has been on grieving and trying to understand how an ordinary night could end in such a catastrophic way. Friends said the family has leaned on relatives and neighbors for help with childcare and daily needs. Echevarria said the hardest part has been explaining the loss to the children in a way they can process. Relatives said Montgomery’s youngest child is still an infant, while older children are facing the shock of losing a parent they saw every day.
Police said Friday that they were not seeking any suspect and that the evidence did not support a homicide. Detectives said they would continue to review surveillance footage and interview additional residents and workers to complete the timeline, and they said they expected to close the case after the remaining checks were finished unless new information emerged. The medical examiner’s findings and the police review of the equipment operation are expected to remain the foundation of the final determination.
Author note: Last updated February 14, 2026.
Featured image prompt (1200×630): A realistic, horizontal nighttime scene outside a Brooklyn public housing building entrance in Williamsburg, with a cordoned-off sidewalk, soft police vehicle lights reflecting on wet pavement, the glow of interior lobby lights behind glass doors, and a quiet courtyard walkway leading toward the building; no logos, no identifiable faces, documentary news style.