Man says he dismembered woman found dead in barrel, coroner identifies victim

MIDDLETOWN — The woman found dead in a barrel on Yankee Road last month has been identified as a 21-year-old from Somerville.

Cecily Cornett was found dead in the barrel after police responded to the 3200 block of Yankee June 30 on a report of a woman dead inside a drum.

Police arrested William Slaton, 35, and he is charged with failure to report a death or crime. He previously served time in prison for child porn charges and got out in May 2018 after a seven year sentence.

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According to court records, when police arrived at the Yankee Street address to check on the report Slaton said police could check, but he then closed the door and police hear a loud noise after he exited the back of the house.

“Officers looked towards the back of the house where Mr. Slaton was observed throwing a metal drum over the fence from his yard,” a Middletown detective wrote in court documents. “Upon opening the metal drum we discovered a nude white female covered in bow flies who was obviously deceased.”

Police got a search warrant for Slaton’s house and a neighboring property.

Slaton admitted to being in the house with Cornett and said he found her hanging in the basement. The coroner’s office has not said how Cornett died and her death is listed as pending.

Slaton also told police after he found her “he then used a sharp object to cut off all of the victims fingers.” He also said he cut off the victim’s tattoos with a razor knife. Police found a bowl containing those items in the home, court records show.

Cornett had been dead for “a few days” before Slaton said he put her into the drum.

Slaton told police he was using drugs just before he woke up to find Cornett’s body in his basement.

It’s not clear if any other charges will come in the case.

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