SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y. — A Huntington Station man previously indicted for concealment of a human corpse is now facing additional charges, including manslaughter and criminal sexual act, in connection with the death of 33-year-old Seikeya Jones, whose remains were discovered inside a suitcase in September 2024.
Ronald Schroeder, 41, was arraigned Wednesday on a superseding indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewski. The new charges include two counts of criminal sexual act in the first degree and one count of manslaughter in the second degree. Schroeder is being held without bail and is scheduled to return to court on June 20.
The case stems from a September 2, 2024, discovery by Suffolk County Police, who were responding to a report of suspicious activity and a foul odor outside an apartment building on Nassau Road. Officers located a suitcase containing the partially decomposed body of Jones. Her wrists and ankles had been bound with a cord.
According to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office, Jones died from asphyxia due to torso compression and smothering. Prosecutors allege that Schroeder sexually assaulted her while she was unconscious and then fell asleep on top of her, causing her death.
Suspect arrested after returning to claim backpack
Law enforcement arrested Schroeder on September 6, 2024, at Penn Station when he attempted to retrieve a backpack from the Long Island Rail Road’s Lost & Found Office.
The bag allegedly contained methamphetamine and GHB, also known as “liquid ecstasy.” Police say Schroeder was also carrying several cellphones at the time of his arrest.
A search warrant on one of the phones revealed a video allegedly taken by Schroeder on August 29, 2024, showing the assault on Jones while she was unconscious. That was the last day she was seen alive.
