A New York City man, who is currently being held at Bellevue Hospital for a mental health evaluation after allegedly killing his mother, may be back on the streets.
According to The New York Post, 30-year-old David Drummond, who is suspected of killing his mother and stuffing her body into a box, might be released due to the city not having an autopsy report determining his mother’s cause of death. A judge has ordered him to have a mental health evaluation, and according to an unnamed hospital worker, without the cause of death, if he passes the assessment, he could land back on the streets uncharged for the suspected murder.
A source revealed, “The [assistant district attorney] said they didn’t have enough to indict him. He’s literally going to be in the community when we let him go.”
The person also stated that Drummond has “a long psych history.”
“We have no good option. He can’t stay in the hospital indefinitely, but it’s not safe to release him into the community.”
Drummond was taken into custody earlier this month, moved from the Department of Correction, and sent to Bellevue Hospital.
The New York Post reported earlier this month that Drummond’s mother was found dead inside a box at her Brooklyn apartment on Nov. 4. A social worker discovered the box while making a home visit at her home in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. Law enforcement said that Drummond admitted hitting her.
Due to his
mother’s remains being badly decomposed, the autopsy hasn’t been completed yet, and authorities don’t know how she died, with the possibility that she may have died from natural causes. Without a cause of death, prosecutors are unable to present a grand jury with any evidence to try to indict Drummond.“The cause of death is unclear. Without an autopsy, they can’t confirm his statement that he hit her,” a source told the media outlet.
“There’s a possibility she died of natural causes.”
“It’s not typical for an autopsy to take this long, but the body was decomposed, so it’s taking longer,” the source explained.
The suspect is currently housed in a civilian unit at Bellevue for his court-ordered mental health evaluation, but they can’t continue to hold him if he’s not considered a threat, the unnamed worker said.
Drummond is slated to appear in court on Feb. 22.
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