Huntington man indicted on charges of felony drug crimes, concealing human corpse in death of Seikeya Jones

The Huntington man charged with hiding a woman's body in a suitcase has been indicted by a Suffolk grand jury for concealing a human corpse and new felony drug charges, court records show.

Ronald Schroeder, 41, who prosecutors have said gave investigators a "detailed admission" after a search of his apartment revealed a "strong odor of human remains," will be arraigned before acting State Supreme Court Justice Steven Pilewski in Riverhead Wednesday on a four-count indictment that includes a top charge of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

The new drug charges, which include a single misdemeanor count for possession, all relate to methamphetamines, online records show. 

Suffolk and Metropolitan Transportation Authority police arrested Schroeder at Penn Station the afternoon of Sept. 6. Schroeder allegedly concealed the body of Seikeya Jones, 31, who was found in a suitcase three days earlier near a Huntington apartment complex on Nassau Road, in the area of New York Avenue.

Schroeder, whose appearance was waived at his initial arraignment due to an airborne illness, has remained in custody at the Suffolk County Jail. He is represented by the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County, which could not be reached for comment Monday.

Schroeder faces up to nine years in prison if convicted on the top charge.

At Schroeder’s initial arraignment, Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Cappiello said officers found Jones "in a fetal position" inside the suitcase with her wrists and ankles bound. Police also recovered bungee cords.

No cause of death has been announced and Schroeder has not been charged in connection with causing her death.

Under New York law, a person is guilty of concealing a human corpse when they do so with the "the intent to conceal the fact of the death or to avoid discovery of the cause or manner of death."

Court records show Schroeder is also scheduled to appear before Pilewski Sept. 24 for a parole violation hearing. That hearing relates to a February drug arrest by Nassau County police, records show.

Jones, nicknamed "Cheese" by family members for her photogenic smile, was reported missing to police on Aug. 16 after leaving her mother’s home on Fifth Avenue in Huntington Station. She was discovered by nearby residents at 11:52 a.m. on Sept. 3, according to a criminal complaint.

Jones' family members had held a candlelight vigil the night Schroeder was arrested, creating a memorial at the site where her body was found and writing messages to her 4-year-old son. Family and friends left a teddy bear, candles and flowers beneath a large poster of Jones.

Her mother, Yolanda Terrell said her daughter was one of five siblings who grew up in Huntington and graduated from Harborfields High School. Classmates who came to pay respects and her family called her "the life of the party."

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.