Woman's Dismembered Body Found In Basement Of Suspect's House

A Michigan man was charged Tuesday, a couple of days after the police found dismembered body of a woman in his basement.

Sgt. Dan Adams told reporters that after they searched the home of Jared James Chance, 29, located in Franklin Street, Grand Rapids, following a tip about suspicious activity in the property at 4:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, they found the pieces of a dead body belonging to an unidentified woman.

Chance was charged with mutilation of a dead body and concealing the death of an individual. He was expected to be arraigned on Wednesday.

"He did not report the existence of the body in the basement of his residence," a detective investigating the incident told Michigan Live.

The body parts were found just outside of a stairway to the upstairs unit of the house. Apart from the bodily remains, the police also found blood in different parts of Chance’s home, a few household "articles that could have been used to dismember a human body” and some cleaning items.

Investigators said they were trying out alternative means to identify the human remains as the pieces of the corpse did not allow them "to identify the victim with traditional methods."

Before Chance was charged, the Grand Rapids district court heard that Chance was last seen with a woman on Nov. 30, whose name was not revealed and was instead referred to as an "acquaintance.” The woman in question later went missing. It is not immediately known if the missing woman has any connection with the human remains found inside the accused’s house.

On Sunday, family members of a 31-year-old woman named Ashley Young, from Kalamazoo, Michigan, told CBS-affiliated WWMT that they were called in by the authorities because Young was missing and she knew Chance. The police have not confirmed if Young is the same “acquaintance” who was last seen with the accused on Nov. 30.

“The investigation is still ongoing,” Adams told reporters. “It’s a very sensitive investigation. We ask for the public’s patience and support. Anyone with information is highly encouraged to contact investigators, or Silent Observer at www.silentobserver.org.”

Chance has a criminal past. According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, he was convicted of at least three prior felonies – one count of resisting and obstructing police in 2011 and two counts of possessing a controlled substance in 2016.

According to the New York Post, Chance was cooperating with the police. If convicted of the charges, he could be facing life in prison, since he is will be a fourth-time offender.