Park Ridge police: Son dumped mother's body in garbage can after slaying
A 47-year-old Park Ridge man is accused of stabbing his mother to death and dumping her body in a garbage can in an attempt to conceal it, police said Wednesday.
David Krystyniak was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the death of 74-year-old Judith Krystyniak, with whom he lived on the 1900 block of Courtland Avenue on the city's south side. The son was held on no bond following an initial court appearance Wednesday morning in Skokie.
Park Ridge police believe Krystyniak intended to bring the large two-wheeled garbage can containing his mother's body from the living room out to the street corner for garbage pickup Monday afternoon.
An officer and social worker who conducted a well-being check at the house Monday discovered the mother's lifeless body in the container, amid blood and other debris. They also found a 2-foot sword believed to be the murder weapon.
Police said Krystyniak admitted to the stabbing that occurred in the house sometime Sunday night. But investigators aren't sure of a motive.
Police Chief Frank Kaminski said there was no history of domestic violence in the house, where the mother and son lived together for years. But police were called there earlier in July by the son reporting that his mother overdosed on medication - a report that turned out to be unfounded.
David Krystyniak has a history of mental health issues, Kaminski said, and the police department's social worker has interacted with him. Neighbors reported to police that he knocked on their doors for food and money in the past.
The social worker and officer who came to the family home initially drove by about 9:30 a.m. Monday and noticed food and gallons of milk scattered about the driveway. They knocked on the door, rang the doorbell, and placed a phone call, but there was no answer.
"With cases like this, you're always looking for signs and symptoms. And passing by the house, they noticed something that was unusual and they went further to investigate what was going on," Kaminski said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
"For them, something was wrong. Seeing that kind of stuff outside the house on the driveway, it just didn't make sense," Kaminski said.
They came back at 12:17 p.m., when police said David Krystyniak came outside to meet them on the driveway. He told them his mother was in the house sleeping and invited them inside, authorities said.
The officer checked all bedrooms, then came to the living room where the garbage can was in the center of the room.
After discovering the body, the officer took David Krystyniak into custody without incident.
After an autopsy Tuesday, the Cook County medical examiner's office ruled Judith Krystyniak's death a homicide due to "stab and incised" wounds. Police said the victim had two stab wounds to the chest.
The homicide was the first in Park Ridge in a decade, after a body was found in a commuter parking lot next to the railroad tracks.
David Krystyniak is due in court again Aug. 14.