Death Of Woman, 85, Found Wrapped In Plastic In Queens Ruled Homicide
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The death of a grandmother whose corpse was found wrapped in plastic in a Ridgewood, Queens home has been ruled a homicide, police said Tuesday.
Police were called at 3:15 p.m. Oct. 5 to a home on 65th Street in Queens, and found the body of Erika Kraus-Breslin, 85. Her grandson – Christopher Fuhrer, 30 – was accused of keeping her corpse in the home for five months because he was afraid of losing his housing.
Neighbors said Kraus-Breslin had been in poor health for years while she shared her tidy Ridgewood home with her adult grandson.
Police said the woman's daughter, who lives out of state, called them saying she lost contact with Kraus-Breslin five months ago.
Police said the day officers came to the house, they were met by Fuhrer.
Together, Fuhrer and the officers went to an upstairs bedroom where the decomposing body was wrapped in 16 layers of plastic bags, police said. Air fresheners littered the room, and a fan was also set up in an effort to mask the smell, police said.
According to police sources, Fuhrer told investigators his grandmother died and he became worried he would lose his place to live and become homeless.
Furher was charged back in October with not reporting a death to a health officer, burying or removing a body without a permit, improper burial, and concealment of a human corpse.
No one had been charged late Tuesday in the wake of the ruling that Kraus-Breslin's death had been deemed a homicide. The investigation continued.
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