Woman Arrested for Allegedly Killing and Dismembering Parents With Chainsaw

43-year-old Pennsylvania woman Verity Beck has been arrested after she allegedly killed and dismembered her elderly parents with a chainsaw in their home, ABC6 reports.

Authorities responded to a call from Beck’s brother when he said he saw a body under a blanket during a visit to Redi and Miriam Beck’s home, where she had also been living, on Tuesday (Jan. 17). When police arrived at the home, they discovered Verity’s parents, who were 73 and 72 years old, in “different stages of dismemberment.”

During a press conference on Wednesday, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said Beck is believed to have used a chainsaw to dismember the elderly couple. “There were signs of extreme trauma and I’ll tell you that a chainsaw was found,” he said. “Verity used this chainsaw and then had put parts of her parents into trash bags and had covered them up, and they were actually in two different trash cans.”

Autopsy results showed that they both died of gunshot wounds to the head, however Steele noted that it’s unclear if she began dismembering them before or after shooting them.

Authorities also discovered a large safe with several drill marks on the second-floor bedroom, although a motive for the killings is currently unknown. Her brother confirmed that he last had contact with his mother on January 7, the same day investigators believe the couple was killed due to unread newspapers with that date.

Her brother also said that he thought he was speaking with them over texts throughout the past week, although it’s now believed that Beck was using their phones.