NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Police investigating the death of a woman whose body was found stuffed in a bin outside a Staten Island home have arrested a man who lives there.
The NYPD said Monday that Glen Brancato, 56, was arrested Saturday and charged with concealment of a human corpse, obstructing governmental administration and criminal trespassing.
His arrest came a day after the woman, now identified as Lahuma Payton, 26, was found dead inside a large storage container in the driveway of the house on Heberton Avenue, between Castleton and Anderson avenues, in Port Richmond. Brancato’s listed address is at the home.
Payton lived on Heusden Street in Mariners Harbor, about 1.5 miles away from the home where her body was discovered.
The relationship between Brancato and Payton is unclear, though a source familiar with the investigation told the Staten Island Advance that the two were acquaintances.
The medical examiner’s office is working to determine how Payton died. With toxicology tests pending, the source said investigators are looking into the possibility Payton suffered a fatal overdose.
NYPD officers discovered her body while responding to a 911 call around 5:45 a.m. Friday. They found her wrapped in a blanket and put in a plastic bin used to store holiday decorations. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sources told the Staten Island Advance that she was partially clothed—dressed from the waist down—when her body was found. There were no obvious signs of trauma to her body, the sources said.
Police are still searching for a second man captured on a surveillance video leaving Brancato’s apartment. In the video, Brancato and the other man are seen dragging Payton and leaving her in the driveway, police told the Daily News.
Brancato was released without bail after his arraignment in Staten Island Criminal Court on Sunday.
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