Police have arrested one suspect in connected to a gruesome murder in Peabody, Massachusetts, this weekend — while a second suspect is still at large.
On Saturday night, investigators responding to a report from a woman who fled the crime scene found a “messy” bloodbath in the basement of the home. Initially, because the bodies had been so badly mutilated, police were unable to determine how many bodies there were.
“The crime scene is very difficult right now, it’s quite messy,” Essex District Attorney Jon Blodgett told reporters on Sunday. “We’re doing our best to sift through this. It takes time. The medical examiner’s office is on the way, and we’re using all those resources to ascertain exactly what happened at this property.”
The two victims were later identified as 37-year-old Mark Greenlaw and 39-year-old Jennifer O’Connor, and reportedly lived in the home.
45 year old Michael Hebb arrested in Peabody dbl murder. Search for 2nd suspect now. I'll have More #FOX25 4pm pic.twitter.com/13M4x25yRz
— Bob Ward Fox25 (@Bward3) February 20, 2017
On Monday, police arrested Michael Hebb, 45, on suspicion of murder. A second suspect is still at large. Police have said they believe the victims knew their assailants, but the nature of the relationship is still unknown.
Police also said they had been to the Peabody home on numerous occasions in the past — “for all kinds of incidents,” Police Chief Thomas Griffin told reporters.
O’Connor’s mother told the Boston Herald that her daughter had struggled with addiction and trouble with the law for many years, after a youth that was plagued with medical problems, including a leukemia diagnosis at age 5, and a bacterial infection at age 30 that almost took Jennifer’s life.
“She was a good person. Drugs did her in,” Carole O’Connor told the Boston Herald from her home in Beverly. “We tried everything. We did everything.”
On Tuesday morning, police confirmed they had found an Acura that had been stolen from the murder scene over the weekend. Police said on Monday that the suspects were believed to have been driving the car.
The story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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