A foul smell in an empty Queens school led to a discovery straight out of a nightmare: a decomposing body stuffed in its chimney.
Story Snapshot
- An exterminator followed a bad odor and found human remains jammed in a school chimney.
- The school was closed for summer construction, so only workers were inside when police arrived.
- The Medical Examiner must now answer the two questions that matter most: who is the victim, and how did he die?
A routine call becomes a grim crime scene
A custodian at PS 113 Anthony J. Pranzo in Glendale, Queens noticed a foul odor coming from the area around the school chimney and did what people usually do in an old building: he called an exterminator to check for dead animals or pests. The exterminator followed the smell to the ash dump of the chimney, opened it, and saw a shoe. When he reached in, he felt a human foot, not a rat or raccoon. That single touch turned a routine service call into a 911 emergency and a full police response.
New York City Police Department officers arrived around 9 a.m. after that 911 call for “possible human remains.” Crime Scene Unit investigators then confirmed what no one wanted to believe at a school: there were human remains inside the chimney structure. Reporters describe the body as that of an adult male, likely in a decomposed state, which suggests he had been in that chimney for a while. The remains have not yet been removed, because moving a body from a tight ash dump is slow, careful work if you want to preserve evidence.
An empty school, but deep shock for parents
Classes at PS 113 had ended the previous Friday, and the school building was closed for the entire summer for repair work on heating and wiring. City officials say no students or regular school staff were inside when the body was found; only contractors and workers had access. That detail matters. It tells parents their children were not in physical danger that morning, but it does not stop the deeper fear: how does a dead man end up in the chimney of a place where kids learn and grow?
New York City Public Schools called the discovery “deeply upsetting and concerning” and promised support for the school community while the police investigate. Parents and neighbors echoed that reaction in interviews. They worry not only about what happened to the victim, but also about what this says about safety in aging school buildings. Many city schools are old, with hidden spaces and long-term scaffolding and repair projects. When something this dark is found, people start asking what else might be missed in a system they assume is safe.
The investigation’s big questions: who, how, and when
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner now holds the key to the case. First, examiners must confirm the remains belong to one person and then identify him, likely using dental records and DNA. Second, they must decide cause and manner of death: accident, suicide, or homicide. Reporters say the remains looked decomposed, pointing to a time window of weeks or even months in that chimney, but only scientific work can narrow that down.
Exterminator finds human remains in chimney of Queens middle school https://t.co/JGahOfHoSp via @gothamist
— leonie haimson (@leoniehaimson) July 1, 2026
Detectives are already planning to question contractors who worked at PS 113 during the year the building sat under scaffolding. Common sense says you start with the people who were around the structure most often. Are any workers missing? Did anyone report strange behavior near the roof or chimney? Investigators will also study the chimney and ash dump itself. They need to find the entry point and ask a simple but vital question: could someone get in there alone, or did someone have to put him there?
A case that tests trust in city schools and city government
Stories like this hit a nerve with American conservatives because they touch basic values: safety of children, accountability of public institutions, and respect for human life. On one hand, school officials and police moved fast, locked down the site, and called in the Medical Examiner. That shows the system can act. On the other hand, the fact that a man could die and lie hidden inside a school chimney during long-term construction raises questions about oversight.
Media outlets have strong incentives to hype horror at a school, and some headlines jump quickly to the word “homicide” even before the Medical Examiner issues a ruling. That kind of framing can inflame fear and anger without hard facts to back it up. A conservative, common-sense view says we should demand clear answers, but not let sensational coverage drive the investigation. The only way to honor the victim and protect children is to insist on thorough work: full autopsy, structural inspection, and a transparent report on who, if anyone, failed in their duty.
Sources:
abcnews.com, abc7.com, people.com, youtube.com, facebook.com, fox5ny.com
