Remains in storage facility IS missing mom as estranged husband and girlfriend face murder charges

The estranged husband of a teacher and his new girlfriend have appeared in court charged with her murder. 

New York City public school teacher Jeanine Cammarata, 37, disappeared on Saturday night, less than 48 hours after she told Michael Cammarata that she wanted a divorce. Charred remains found in a Staten Island storage facility have been confirmed as belonging to the missing mother-of-three. 

Michael, 42, had been taken into police custody on Tuesday after he allegedly admitted to assaulting his wife on the night she went missing. 

­Ayisha Egea, 41, is said to have been in the Queens apartment where she lived with Michael when the Staten Island teacher was killed. A police source told The Daily News: ‘She was with him the entire time.’

They both appeared in court Friday and have been charged with murder, concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence. They were held without bond.

 

Michael Cammarata has been arrested over the death of his estranged wife Jeanine Cammarata after her charred remains were found in a Staten Island storage facility

Cammarata is seen above in court on Friday. He has been charged with second-degree murder

Cammarata is seen above in court on Friday. He has been charged with second-degree murder

Ayisha Egea is also charged with second-degree murder. She is seen above in court Friday

Ayisha Egea is also charged with second-degree murder. She is seen above in court Friday

Sources say Egea told police about the storage unit, which was filled with air fresheners allegedly intended to hide the stench of the body

Sources say Egea told police about the storage unit, which was filled with air fresheners allegedly intended to hide the stench of the body

 PIX11

NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea tweeted Friday: ‘The investigation into the disappearance of Jeanine Cammarata is now officially a murder investigation.

‘Working closely with (the) Staten Island DA we have arrested Michael Cammarata & Ayisha Egea, both charged with (second-degree) murder.’

Investigators have allegedly obtained surveillance footage which shows Michael carrying a large plastic bin out of his apartment in the Queens shortly after Jeanine left on Saturday night. 

He was later seen unloading the bin with the help of another person at a storage facility in Staten Island, where police recovered a woman’s body early Thursday.

A police spokesperson told New York Post that authorities had struggled to make a positive identification of the victim as the corpse was ‘charred and unidentifiable’ before being placed in a black plastic bag.  

Sources say Egea, Michael’s girlfriend, told police about the storage unit, which was filled with air fresheners allegedly intended to hide the stench of the body.  

Kangi-Ayisha Egea, 41, is also accused of murder, concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence after her new boyfriend's estranged wife was found dead

Michael Cammarata is pictured

Egea, 41, left, is also charged with concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence after her new boyfriend’s estranged wife was found dead. Michael Cammarata is pictured, right, outside court Friday

Investigators have allegedly obtained surveillance footage which shows Michael carrying a large plastic bin out of his apartment in Queens shortly after Jeanine left on Saturday night

Investigators have allegedly obtained surveillance footage which shows Michael carrying a large plastic bin out of his apartment in Queens shortly after Jeanine left on Saturday night

The body of missing teacher and mother-of-three Jeanine Cammarata, 37, was found in a storage unit on Staten Island early Thursday morning

The body of missing teacher and mother-of-three Jeanine Cammarata, 37, was found in a storage unit on Staten Island early Thursday morning 

A lawyer representing Jeanine (left) said she had served her estranged husband Michael Cammarata (right) with divorce papers less than 48 hours before she vanished Saturday night

A lawyer representing Jeanine (left) said she had served her estranged husband Michael Cammarata (right) with divorce papers less than 48 hours before she vanished Saturday night 

NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea tweeted Friday: 'The investigation into the disappearance of Jeanine Cammarata is now officially a murder investigation'

NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea tweeted Friday: ‘The investigation into the disappearance of Jeanine Cammarata is now officially a murder investigation’ 

A city medical examiner vehicle is seen parked outside the storage facility

A city medical examiner vehicle is seen parked outside the storage facility

Investigators in white Tyvek suits were seen going in and out of a building at the facility

Investigators in white Tyvek suits were seen going in and out of a building at the facility 

Jeanine was last seen at about 9pm Saturday when she dropped her boyfriend off at his house and said she was going to visit Michael and their three-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter, who live with him. 

Later that night she sent several alarming messages to friends. 

Jeanine’s boyfriend reported her missing on Tuesday after she failed to show up for work at elementary school P.S. 29 in Castleton Corner or her side job at Dollar Tree. 

She had missed a child custody hearing on Monday, according to the attorney handling her divorce, Eric Gansberg. 

‘It just doesn’t make sense to me,’ Gansberg told the New York Post. 

‘She was so eager to proceed. She wanted to be with her children. I cannot imagine her just walking away.’

By Tuesday afternoon Michael was questioned by police about Jeanine’s disappearance and allegedly admitted to police that he had hit her in the face after they had sex on Saturday, according to WPIX-TV.

He was charged with stalking, harassment, and assault, though law enforcement sources have said those charges are unrelated to Jeanine’s disappearance.

The van that Michael allegedly drove from Queens to Staten Island on Saturday night has also reportedly been recovered by police, but Jeanine’s vehicle has still not been found.  

Jeanine Cammarata was reported missing on Tuesday after she failed to show up for her job as an elementary school teacher at P.S. 29 in Staten Island

She was last seen at round 9pm Saturday when she dropped her boyfriend off at his house and said she was going to visit Michael and their children, who live with him

Jeanine Cammarata was reported missing on Tuesday after she failed to show up for her job as an elementary school teacher at P.S. 29 in Staten Island. She was last seen at round 9pm Saturday when she dropped her boyfriend off at his house and said she was going to visit Michael and their children, who live with him

Jeanine and Michael are seen above with two of their children at their wedding

Jeanine and Michael are seen above with two of their children at their wedding 

Those who know Jeanine say she was terrified of her husband. They say she described his behavior toward her as abusive.

Her landlord, Jose Perez, claimed that Jeanine was ‘concerned about her safety’ because Michael would harass her and follow her in his car. 

‘She even escalated it because she was concerned about her safety. 

‘And I mentioned it to her, I said to her: ‘You better get this thing straightened out, because you don’t want any problems’,’ Perez told WABC.

‘She always texted me where she’s at or if something’s happening to her. But she has not.’

Perez said he last saw Jeanine two weeks ago, and that she was determined to win custody of her two children with Michael. 

‘He wasn’t giving her her kids, she wasn’t able to see her kids,’ the landlord said. 

‘That’s when she said okay, I had enough. I’m gonna go get a lawyer, I’m gonna get divorced, and I’m gonna get custody of my kids. And now she’s gone.’ 

Jeanine also has an 11-year-old son from another marriage. 

Jeanine was in the middle of a custody battle for her three children (above together) and missed a court hearing on Monday

Jeanine was in the middle of a custody battle for her three children (above together) and missed a court hearing on Monday 

Jeanine’s boyfriend and a co-worker at Dollar Tree, Elizabeth Torres, were questioned by police on Tuesday evening.  

‘She let me know Friday she was going to pick up her children Saturday,’ Torres told ABC.   

‘And that’s the last anybody actually saw her,’ Jeanine’s best friend Jessica Pobega added. 

Pobega said she received strange and mysterious text messages from Jeanine on the day she disappeared. 

When Pobega told Jeanine she was going to call the police out of concern, the mother allegedly replied: ‘I don’t want that. I have the kids…I apologize. I have to do this for the children.’ 

Pobega appeared to be suspicious that it was actually Jeanine who sent her the messages because she never ended up seeing her children over the weekend. 

‘I don’t know who that was and what they were covering for,’ she said, adding: ‘She’s my oldest friend. My mother is distraught. Something happened. Something bad happened. And I don’t know what it is and I really hope I’m wrong.’ 

Jeanine's best friend Jessica Pobega posted the poster above on Facebook along with a plea for information about the mother's whereabouts

Jeanine’s best friend Jessica Pobega posted the poster above on Facebook along with a plea for information about the mother’s whereabouts

Pobega took to Facebook to plead for any information on Jeanine’s whereabouts.

She noted that her sudden disappearance is suspicious, saying that Jeanine would always called into work if she couldn’t make it. 

‘She’s never once NOT called into school. She’d never risk her job at the [Department of Education] in NYC. She’s never NOT check in with me or her sister Christine. She didn’t call her mother for her birthday, which was yesterday. There are a lot of people very worried,’ Pobega wrote. 

‘May they suffer in the 10th circle of hell,’ she posted about the accused killers of her friend to Facebook on Friday. 

Police revealed that her roommate received a text message from Jeanine on Monday saying she’s ‘okay’, but her roommate doesn’t believe Jeanine sent that text.  

Jeanine’s sister Christine Ross told CBS: ‘The last I talked to her was Friday morning. We were talking about her coming to visit me.’ 

Ross added that Jeanine not appearing for her jobs is very irregular and worrisome.         

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk