Woman found dead in NYC: 55-year-old man in police custody after body found wrapped in plastic and sleeping bag

KIPS BAY, Manhattan (WABC) — A 55-year-old man is in police custody after the body of 31-year-old Yazmeen Williams was found in a sleeping bag in Kips Bay last week.

The medical examiner concluded that Williams had been shot in the head and ruled her death a homicide.

Chad Irish faces a number of charges, including concealing a corpse, illegal possession of a firearm and menacing.

According to police, Irish threatened a 47-year-old man who identified him at the Strauss Houses on East 28th Street, where Williams’ body was found.

Detectives are still searching for the murder weapon and are executing a search warrant for Irish’s apartment, where they believe Williams was killed.

Williams lived with Irish from time to time, but the nature of their relationship is still unclear.

Irish is described as “ambulatory,” able to walk around and certainly capable of committing murder, but he uses a wheelchair to get around.

Irish has been arrested 21 times, his past stretching back to the early 1990s, and he has served several stints in state prison.

He was most recently paroled for a July 2022 robbery in the Bronx.

Irish has not been charged in Williams’ death, but the investigation is ongoing.

The community where the woman was found is outraged. On Monday night, a crowd mobbed Irish as he was taken from his home on a stretcher and taken into custody. They yelled “murderer,” cursed at him, beat him and asked why he would kill a woman who grew up in the neighborhood and who never seemed to have a problem with anyone.

“Enough people here said they know exactly who did it,” said neighbor Ted Oehmke. “I think they probably didn’t like him before, and when you see him do that to this girl, they’re understandably angry, and I don’t blame them.”

Investigators believe Irish was the man in the motorized wheelchair seen on video using a handcart to pull the body behind him and place it on East 27th Street on Friday.

Meanwhile, family and friends continue to mourn the death of their loved one while a makeshift memorial has been erected.

Williams’ family described her as someone who wanted to advocate for women’s rights and fight for victims in the justice system.

“She was beautiful, she was sweet, she had a college degree, she was just a good person,” said the victim’s aunt, Nisha Ramirez.

Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Representative Harvey Epstein and Council Member Carlina Rivera released a joint statement on Williams’ death, expressing their sadness and outrage:

“Our deepest sympathies go out to Yazmeen’s family, especially her mother, Nicole Williams, who has shown tremendous strength during this unimaginably difficult time. Yazmeen was a bright and accomplished individual, a graduate of Buffalo State University with a degree in criminal justice, and she had just begun a promising career with the New York City Housing Authority. The loss of someone who was so dedicated to the well-being of her neighbors is immeasurable. This tragedy has left a void in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.”

The statement added that members of the Straus Houses community have called for more surveillance cameras to improve safety and that lawmakers would do everything in their power to improve security.

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