‘She is there on the couch’: Brothers kept woman’s corpse in living room for 6 months before they finally invited cops inside, prosecutors say

A woman went missing for months earlier constabulary visited the Montreal location of her fellow and his member — and erstwhile they did, they recovered her “mummified” remains.

According to reporting by Canadian quality outlet CityNews, Alasie Tukkiapik, 41, was archetypal reported missing successful March 2023. She was known to beryllium dating a antheral named “Frank,” aboriginal identified arsenic Francesco Sansalone, 63, who lived with his member Nicodemo Sansalone, 61. While galore radical came to the Sansalone’s doorway looking for Tukkiapik, the brothers refused to fto anyone in, prosecutors said.

When constabulary were successful the vicinity connected Sept. 18, 2023, Nicodemo Sansalone came retired of his location and joined the conversation. According to courtroom reporting by the Montreal Gazette, helium told an officer, “She is determination connected the couch. She [has been] laying connected the sofa for the past six months.”

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When the Sansalone brothers appeared successful a Montreal courtroom connected Wednesday to participate their plea, authoritative Simon Lapierre work aloud a associated connection of facts surrounding the case. In the statement, Lapierre described what happened erstwhile the officers met by Nicodemo Sansalone entered the brothers’ home, saying, “Immediately upon entering, the officers noticed the beardown odor of a dormant body. The location was a implicit messiness and was successful unsanitary conditions.”

As the officers went inside, “they noticed a quality silhouette connected the sofa underneath a broad with the feet sticking out. Underneath the blanket, the officers recovered the corpse of Mrs. Tukkiapik who was successful a mummified state.”

Nicodemo Sansalone reportedly told officers that helium “should person called to fto you guys know. But my member Frank didn’t privation maine to telephone you and helium ran distant a fewer weeks ago,” adding, “He near maine unsocial with her.”

He besides reportedly provided officers with the time Tukkiapik died: Feb. 12, 2023. As helium was being arrested, helium said, “I privation l could spell backmost successful time.”

Francesco Sansalone was yet apprehended by constabulary and arrested weeks later. According to Lapierre, Francesco Sansalone had been dating Tukkiapik for respective years erstwhile helium noticed that she began bleeding from her buttocks portion they were staying astatine a motel, but helium wrote it disconnected arsenic a grounds of stress.

According to prosecutors, erstwhile the mates returned to the Sansalone home, Tukkiapik grew weaker but reportedly refused to beryllium taken to a hospital. She yet passed away, and the brothers moved her assemblage to the surviving country couch, wherever she remained for the adjacent six months.

Prosecutors said they attempted to screen the odor of decay with aerial freshener.

The autopsy connected Tukkiapik did not supply a circumstantial origin of decease owed to the information of her body. However, determination was nary grounds of a traumatic wounded oregon substance that could beryllium linked to a origin of death.

Both brothers, aft a monthslong delay, pleaded blameworthy to charges related to the indignity caused to Tukkiapik’s assemblage and neglecting to notify authorities of her death.