A man was taken into police custody after family members he was visiting found his luggage stuffed with human body parts.
Melvin Martin Jr., 30, was arrested earlier this week and charged on Wednesday after police said his relatives found duffel bags belonging to him stuffed with a woman's dismembered remains in Markham, Illinois.
The woman was later identified as Martin's 31-year-old girlfriend. According to police, a domestic assault ended with the woman's death at their residence in Louisville, Kentucky. A month later, Martin brought some of her dismembered remains to Markham.
Suspicious Behavior Around the Bags
Chief Terry White said Martin boarded a Greyhound bus with a suitcase and bags. He arrived on Friday on a trip to visit his family in Markham. However, he started acting suspicious around the bags, which he put in the garage and guarded around the clock and never unpacked.
Martin had been staying with family for about a week, and family members became curious after he asked them on at least two occasions to purchase clothing for him. Martin also made efforts to conceal any foul odors that would have been emitted by the decomposing body parts but according to Chief White, the stink did not go unnoticed by his relatives.
When he went to the library, the family members decided to take a peek inside and found a human head, some organs, and lower half remains inside the luggage. Only the torso was missing.
Charged with Fugitive Fleeing Prosecution
The relatives notified the police and Martin was arrested on Monday. He has been charged in Illinois as a fugitive fleeing prosecution. Markham authorities on Wednesday contacted their counterparts in Louisville. Martin will be sent back to Louisville following an extradition hearing in Illinois, where he will face additional charges.
Investigators said he wasn't initially cooperative but that he later gave a detailed statement to the police, leading them to a buried torso in a Louisville park located close to their residence.
