NEW YORK — The life partner of a woman who was found dismembered in New York City is speaking out after her disturbing death.
The medical examiner is still determining the cause of death of 39-year-old Michelle Montgomery, a mother of four, who was found dismembered in Brooklyn on Sunday.
New York City Housing Authority workers found her at the Boriqunen Public Houses in Bushwick.
“She left this house vibrant, happy and alive,” said Anthony Echevarria, Montgomery’s life partner.
Just after midnight on Sunday, Montgomery posted a TikTok video.
By 9:30 a.m., the mother of four was dead.
Her body was discovered in the basement of a Brooklyn apartment building, dismembered in a garbage bag.
“I wasn’t believing it at first. It was hard. I mean, I broke down because I couldn’t, I still can’t believe it, still,” Echevarria said.
Her gruesome murder has left her family in total and utter shock.
She and her life partner, Echevarria, have a 10-month-old son.
SEE ALSO: Woman found alive in coffin after being brought in for cremation
“It’s been hard because you’ve been looking for it has been, been one of the hardest things to really look at is watching him look for her and knowing that she’s not coming back,” he said.
Echevarria said Montgomery left home around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night.
Family members say that at one point, she was hanging out at a local restaurant, where she posted a video of herself dancing and having a good time.
Family members also said she has no ties to the Boriqunen houses on Bushwick Avenue, where a memorial with her picture and candles has been placed in honor of where her remains were found.
“So extreme, like I don’t even know how she ended up over there in a building, nevertheless in a (expletive) garbage bag, mad extreme,” Echevarria said.
Montgomery was described as a fun, loving, go-getter who worked hard and would go all out to give her kids what she didn’t have growing up.
“Super mom, to make sure none of these kids wanted for nothing, that they always got what they needed. They always got what they wanted,” Echevarria said.
Montgomery was active on social media, posting just last week, “spend time with the people you love before it’s too late.”
Back in December, nearly two months to the day of her murder, she wrote, “If I die tomorrow, my Facebook wall would be filled with posts about broken friendships. Please don’t use my death for some sympathy. If you love me, love me now.”
“She was phenomenal. She was so phenomenal,” Echevarria said.
Copyright © 2026 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.