Top inset: Erica Bader (Quinn Funeral Home). Bottom insets, left to right: Cheryl Blakely, Stephanie Bletzer, Joshua Brunelle, Andrew Cornell, Elizabeth Durand, Christopher Kordalewski, Joanne Miller, Brittney Terpening (Central Falls Police Department). Background: The home in Rhode Island where Erica Bader was allegedly murdered (WJAR/YouTube).
Eight people are facing charges in Rhode Island, including murder and kidnapping, in connection with the death of a pregnant woman whose mutilated body was found in a wooded area, according to her family and police.
“They killed her and the baby,” said Erica Bader”s stepmother, Crystal Smith, in an interview with local NBC affiliate WJAR. “They should be ashamed of themselves for what they’ve done,” Smith said.
Bader’s family says she was attacked, raped and murdered in Central Falls by members of the group who are currently charged in connection with the 24-year-old’s death, according to The Boston Globe. Five individuals have been charged with murder and kidnapping, while the three others are charged with kidnapping, conspiracy, and failure to report a death. Bader’s body was found in the woods of Pawtucket on Oct. 27.
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The suspects charged with murder have been identified as Andrew Cornell, 28; Joshua Brunelle, 35; Elizabeth Durand, 41; Stephanie Bletzer, 37; and Brittney Terpening, 34. The others are Christopher Kordalewski, 22; Joanne Miller, 26; and Cheryl Blakely, 36.
“What happened to Erica is absolutely heartbreaking and horrific,” Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera said in a statement to local media outlets.
“My deepest condolences go to her family, her friends, and everyone who loved her,” Rivera said. “No family should ever experience this kind of pain or heartbreak.”
Bader’s stepmother told WJAR that Bader did not know her alleged killers until she started staying with them at a home in Central Falls. “They’re just random people,” Smith said. “They were like total strangers to her.”
The family says Bader had been abused at the home and tried to move out, but was forced to stay by the suspects. “She tried to run away one time, she didn’t get far,” Smith alleged. “They dragged her in, pulled her in that house and held her hostage, basically.”
Police have not shared details about how Bader was killed, but her family says she was attacked and sexually assaulted before being murdered and dumped in the woods.
“They killed her while she was pregnant,” the victim’s aunt, Stephanie Bender, told WJAR.
A welfare check was conducted at the home in Central Falls where Bader was staying in April, but she was not at the residence. It’s unclear when she was killed exactly. A search of the home in early November led to 46 cats and four dogs being removed due to bad living conditions, according to local officials.
“It’s sad for her to have been in a place where she couldn’t get away,” Smith said. “I hope they never get out.”
