Investigators have found a body believed to be that of missing Staten Island teacher Jeanine Cammarata, who was last seen this weekend after telling friends she was going to see her estranged husband Michael Cammarata.
The New York Post reports that a body was found at the Extra Space Storage on Arden Avenue in Arden Heights, on Staten Island, early Thursday morning. According to the report, a heavy police presence has been at the storage facility on Thursday, five days after Cammarata, 37, was last seen.
A source with knowledge of the investigation told CrimeOnline that the body is confirmed to be Cammarata, a mother of three and a public school teacher in Staten Island. The source said they were told the body was burned, which may be delaying a positive identification. Law enforcement has not yet officially confirmed the body is the missing woman, and have not made any statements about the condition of the remains.
According to the New York Daily News, authorities have obtained surveillance video of Michael Cammarata carrying a “large bag” from his apartment in the Rockaways, a neighborhood in Queens, and later captured again on surveillance footage at the storage facility.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the missing woman’s close friend shared with local media strange messages she had received from someone claiming to be Jeanine. But the friend, Jessica Pobega, told CBS New York that she did not believe it was actually Jeanine in the Facebook message exchange, during which the person said repeatedly she was “fine” and refused Pobega’s urgent demands to speak to her on the phone so she could hear her voice.
Pobega’s husband A.J. Carbonari joined Nancy Grace for the latest episode of “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace,” first airing Thursday afternoon. In the interview, Carbonari explained that it was automatically suspicious for Jeanine to be communicating from her Facebook account, as she typically only used her phone — because her estranged husband had apparently hacked into other accounts in the past.
Carbonari also said he had viewed surveillance footage of the Verrazano Bridge, which leads to Staten Island from Brooklyn, showing Jeanine’s car going over the bridge on Sunday, followed later by Michael Cammarata’s car. Carbonari said he believed Michael would have no reason to be in Staten Island on a Sunday.
Michael Cammarata, 42, has been in police custody since earlier this week, and was reportedly charged with assault over a previous domestic incident involving his estranged wife. He has not yet been charged in connection with her disappearance.
CrimeOnline will provide further updates once more information is available.