A New Jersey woman and her brother have been arrested after authorities discovered the severed remains of her husband in plastic bins in Burlington County.
Adrienne Smith, 43 and a mother of four, and her brother Orville Cousins, 40, have so far been charged with only desecrating the body of Smith’s late husband, Randolph Smith, but it appears likely that further charges will follow. The brother-sister duo has been accused of slicing up Smith’s body, placing it into six plastic containers and disposing of them around Burlington City, New Jersey.
Authorities said that items needed to defile Mr. Smith’s body were found at the couple’s home. The Bergen County prosecutor’s office told NJ.com that the items were purchased by Mrs. Smith and Mr. Cousins two days after when Mrs. Smith stated her husband went missing.
Mrs. Smith reportedly told police that her husband left their home around 8.30 p.m. on Christmas night with an individual she did not know. She did not notify authorities that he was missing until January 2nd.
Remains found in Burlington City on January 12 were identified as those of Mr. Smith. The couple’s home is in Bergenfield, which is an hour and half drive from Burlington City.
Mrs. Smith, who is employed as an operating room technician, was denied bail at a hearing on Saturday, despite Smith’s attorney’s argument that the mother of four does not pose a flight risk. Cousins, who was arrested in New York, is awaiting extradition to New Jersey. Smith will next appear in court on Wednesday.
Photo: Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office
