Eight people in Rhode Island are facing charges connected to the death of a Central Falls woman who was found dead in woods in Pawtucket woods.
Five of eight have been charged with murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy in the death of 24-year-old Erica Bader, while the other three are charged with kidnapping, conspiracy, and failure to report a death, WJAR reported. All eight appeared in Providence District Court last week.
Andrew Cornell, 28; Joshua Brunelle, 35; Elizabeth Durand, 41; Stephanie Bletzer, 37; and Brittney Terpening, 34, face the most serious charges and were ordered held without bail. They are due in court again on Tuesday.
Christopher Kordalewski, 22; Joanne Miller, 26; and Cheryl Blakely, 36, were given bails of $30,000 each.
According to WJAR, Bader was living at a home with several of the people involved in her murder. Bader’s stepmother, Crystal Smith, told the station that they trapped Bader there and “she couldn’t get away.”
“She tried to run away one time, she didn’t get far. They dragged her in, pulled her in that house and held her hostage, basically,” said Smith.
Police have not confirmed that information. Pawtucket Police said Bader’s body was found in the woods, and investigators believe she was killed elsewhere and dumped there.
Officers conducted a welfare check on Bader in April but couldn’t find her.
The Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals removed 46 cats and four dogs from the same home earlier in November, saying they wree living in horrid conditions.
Bader’s family said she was pregnant at the time of her death, but police have not confirmed that information either.
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[Featured image: Center, Erica Bader/handout. Left: Christopher Kordalewski, Joanne Miller, Stephanie Bletzer, and Andrew Cornell. Right: Brittney Terpenin, Elizabeth Durand, Joshua Brunelle, and Cheryl Blakely/Central Falls Police Department]
