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).
In Rhode Island, eight individuals have been charged with serious offenses, including murder and kidnapping, following the discovery of a pregnant woman’s mutilated body in a wooded area. Both the victim’s family and local law enforcement have confirmed these developments.
Crystal Smith, the stepmother of the victim Erica Bader, expressed her outrage in an interview with NBC affiliate WJAR, stating, “They killed her and the baby. They should be ashamed of themselves for what they’ve done.”
According to The Boston Globe, Bader’s family believes she was brutally attacked, raped, and murdered in Central Falls by the accused individuals. The charges laid against the suspects include murder and kidnapping for five of them, while the remaining three face charges of kidnapping, conspiracy, and failing to report a death. Bader’s body was discovered in the Pawtucket woods on October 27.
The suspects accused of murder have been named as Andrew Cornell, 28; Joshua Brunelle, 35; Elizabeth Durand, 41; Stephanie Bletzer, 37; and Brittney Terpening, 34. The other accused are Christopher Kordalewski, 22; Joanne Miller, 26; and Cheryl Blakely, 36.
Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera expressed her sorrow over the incident, describing it as both “heartbreaking and horrific” in a statement to local media.
Mayor Rivera extended her sympathy, saying, “My deepest condolences go to her family, her friends, and everyone who loved her. 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.”
