JENKINTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Police have arrested a woman after they found the dismembered, decomposing bodies of her parents inside their home in Jenkintown along with a chainsaw that was used in the crime, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said Wednesday.
Steele said Verity Beck, 49 from Rydal, was arrested and charged with first- and third-degree murder in the deaths of Miriam and Reid Beck, her 72-year-old mother and 73-year-old father.
He said that police responded at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night to a request for a wellness check at Miriam and Reid Beck’s home on Beverly Road. Justin Beck, who is Miriam and Reid Beck’s son, made the call.
“When police arrived, they were able to get in the house and immediately identified a deceased male. He was wrapped in a white sheet and comforter,” said Steele. He added that police soon found Miriam Beck’s body. Both parents were found shot in the head, with pillows used to muffle the sound, he said.
“There were signs of extreme trauma,” Steele added. “I’ll tell you that a chainsaw was found. Both Reid and Miriam were found in different stages of dismemberment.”
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Authorities accuse their daughter, who lived in the home, of putting parts of her parents’ bodies into trash bags, covered up in different trash cans.
“This is this is somebody that is dismembered … so, clearly, she's trying to get rid of the evidence of her crime,” said Steele.
Steele added they did not yet have a motive, but there was a discovery of a safe into which someone had tried to break.
“Voices were last heard by a family member on the seventh of January, so we believe that they may have been decomposing in that time,” he said.
Verity Beck is not eligible for bail. Abington Township Police and the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office are conducting a joint investigation.
This story is developing. Stay with KYW Newsradio on-air and online for updates.