Elderly Woman's Decapitated Body Found Inside Burning Home, Suspect Arrested

An Indiana man is accused of decapitating and dismembering an elderly woman and setting her apartment ablaze in an attempt to destroy the evidence.

The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Brian Montez Williams was arrested in connection with the death of 67-year-old Melody Gambetty.

According to Clarksville police, on Tuesday, July 27, officers responded to Gambetty’s apartment on Kensington Drive after they received alerts about a fire.

Firefighters entered the apartment and found the decapitated body of Gambetty.

"(The) crime scene, in my 23 years, was probably one of the most horrific we’ve been involved in," said Major Joel DeMoss with the Clarksville Police Department.

The victim’s fingers had also been cut off and there were stab wounds on her body, DeMoss said in a news conference Wednesday morning. The body was sent to a medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. The exact cause of death is unclear as the autopsy results are being awaited.

Investigators believe Gambetty was killed Monday afternoon and characterized her death as the result of a botched robbery or home invasion.

Neighbors reported seeing a "suspicious but polite" man going door-to-door Monday offering "community service work".

"Well, the suspect came to my door looking for work as a community service. He had told other people that he had got out of jail and was doing this community service and looking for work," Don Miller, Gambetty's landlord and longtime neighbor said.

"That young man looked super to me — like a young kid just out of high school or college, and he sure surprised me," he added.

Police obtained surveillance footage showing Williams entering Gambetty’s building on Monday afternoon and leaving after about 3 hours with two suitcases.

He then loaded them into Gambetty’s car, investigators said.

Williams returned to the apartment Tuesday morning and set the house on fire to destroy evidence, DeMoss said.

Investigators don’t believe Gambetty and Williams were known to each other.

Williams was arrested from his home. Investigators found a suitcase in the home that contained some of Gambetty’s body parts, police said.

According to the arrest affidavit, "located inside one of the victim's suitcases was a human cranium, with full facial tissue to include hair attached".

"In a suitcase was a plastic container with a lid, containing multiple human digits (fingers and toes), also believed to belong to the victim (deceased)," the affidavit sates.

Williams is charged with murder, arson, and theft.