As a kid growing up in Lindenhurst, Phyllis Hollman would ride her bike through the trails of Southards Pond Park in nearby Babylon Village.
Now 69, Hollman said she still frequents the park, walking 3 to 4 miles on the trails and sometimes taking pictures of wildlife.
On Saturday morning, one day after Suffolk County police ended a search of the park after the discovery of human remains on the edges of it Thursday, Hollman returned for a morning walk with her husband, Larry, and their dog, Graham, a pit bull/husky mix.
“I’m totally gutted,” she said of the recent news. “We love this park. I’m heartbroken.”
Police on Friday said they located human body parts that investigators believe belong to two unknown victims. Det. Lt. Kevin Beyrer, commanding officer of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Unit, said Friday investigators found a head, legs and arm that appear to belong to a woman.
The body parts were found on the west side of the park after the initial discovery, on the east side, of two severed arms police said they believed belonged to a man.
Police did not have any updates Saturday on the victims’ identities. In a statement, the police press office declined to provide more information on the case: “The investigation is continuing and we don’t have any further updates.”
After police cleared out late Friday, little evidence remained Saturday morning of a crime scene except for a stray piece of yellow police tape on the dirt near a trail entrance. Under a light drizzle, a handful of residents brought their dogs to the park or jogged along the trails.
Larry Hollman, who for nearly 25 years has taken walks through the park, said he wasn’t surprised by the news.
“This is how I explained it to my brother: There’s that scene in ‘Casablanca’ where Claude Rains goes in and says, ‘Shocking, there’s gambling going on in this establishment.’ … I’ve seen everything under the sun in here.”
Several residents said they were…
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