The remains of a missing New York mother were identified as police officers arrested and charged her estranged husband and his girlfriend.
Jeanine Cammarata, a mother-of-three, vanished after appearing at the house of her husband on March 30. Her husband’s girlfriend told police that Cammarata went to the home and had a brief conversation with the couple before leaving.
A body found in a storage facility in Staten Island on April 4 was charred nearly beyond recognition.
When the body was found, police arrested Michael Cammarata and charged him with assault after he admitted hitting his estranged wife, NYPD Assistant Chief William Aubry told reporters.
“Right now, he’s being held on unrelated assault and stalking. With the discovery of these human remains, these human remains, the investigation has taken a turn … into a murder investigation,” Aubry said. He said the remains were “charred and unrecognizable.”
PERP WALK: Michael Cammarata, the estranged husband of the missing NYC mom whose charred body was found inside a Staten Island storage shed, is escorted by police after he was charged in his wife’s murder. https://t.co/bfgBOeCRWr pic.twitter.com/SwqXEWjcqB
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) April 5, 2019
Michael Cammarata (in white) and GF Ayisha Egea are remanded in their court appearance today. Both charged with murder 2, concealment of human corpse, and tampering with evidence in death of Jeanine Cammarata whose charred body was discovered in SI storage unit. @NY1 pic.twitter.com/IOP9fDnQvf
— Van Tieu (@Van_Tieu) April 5, 2019
The remains were positively identified by the medical examiner on April 5, reported WABC.
Cammarata was charged with concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence, NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said.
Cammarata’s girlfriend Ayisha Egea, 41, was also arrested and hit with the same charges.
An official told NBC New York that Cammarata was captured on surveillance footage at the storage facility and that Egea was the one who tipped off officers to the location.
Eric Gansberg, who was representing Cammarata in ongoing divorce proceedings against Michael Cammarata, told the broadcaster that she was “terrified” of her estranged husband.
The couple’s split came after problems arose in 2017, including filing orders of protection against each other. They shared custody of the children but the kids were living with Michael Cammarata and his girlfriend because Jeanine Cammarata was living in a small apartment.
Cammarata’s landlord Jose Perez told WABC that Michael Cammarata was tormenting his estranged wife.
“Harassment, following her in the car,” he said. “She even escalated it because she was concerned about her safety. And I mentioned it to her, I said to her, ‘You better get this thing straightened out because you don’t want any problems’ … She always texted me where she’s at or if something’s happening to her. But she has not.”
Another friend said that the last time she was seen by someone besides the estranged husband and his girlfriend was on Saturday, when Cammarata’s boyfriend called the police and said she vanished after leaving his apartment to meet with her estranged husband to see the children.
Another twist in the case came the day after, when Cammarata’s close friend Jessica Pobega texted her and said she was calling the police.
“I don’t want that,” the reply read. “I have the kids … I apologize. I have to do this for the children.”
