Police arrested a woman accused of shooting and killing her parents and then using a chainsaw to dismember their bodies inside an Abington Township home. NBC10’s Leah Uko has the latest on the investigation.
WARNING: The details of this story are graphic and could be disturbing for some readers.
A Montgomery County woman shot and killed her parents, used a chainsaw to dismember them and then hid their severed body parts inside their Abington Township home, investigators said.
Verity Beck, 49, was arrested and charged with the murders of her parents, Reid Beck, 73, and Miriam Beck, 72.
On Tuesday, around 8 p.m., the couple’s son drove past his parents’ home along the 1100 block of Beverly Road in the Jenkintown section of Abington Township. The man later told investigators that while he had received texts from his parents within the past 10 days, he hadn’t heard their voices or received phone calls from them since Jan. 7 even though he normally spoke with his mother daily.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
The man noticed his parents’ vehicles were parked outside the home and all the lights inside were off. He then returned to his house and decided to bring soup for his sister, Verity Beck, who lived inside the Jenkintown home with their parents, because she had complained about being sick.
The man returned to his parents’ home that night around 9:30 p.m. and went inside. When he entered a downstairs bedroom he found a body on the floor covered by a bloodstained sheet, according to the criminal complaint. He also saw feet protruding from the blanket and assumed the body was that of his father.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Investigators said the man then called for Verity Beck who met him in the living room. During a 30-minute conversation, Verity Beck told her brother that things at the home had “been bad,” according to the criminal complaint. When her brother said that they needed to call police, Verity Beck told him that she needed “more time,” according to investigators.
The man, who was aware that his sister owned a handgun, then left the house, returned to his own home and called police, according to the criminal complaint.
Abington police arrived at the home around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday and spotted lights on inside. They tried to make contact with Verity Beck at the front door but she never answered, according to the criminal complaint. More police units then arrived and secured a perimeter around the home.
Police then deployed a small remote-controlled robot into the first floor of the home to find Verity Beck as well as a drone to observe through the second floor windows. However, they still couldn’t find her at that point.
Shortly after midnight, three officers entered the home and noticed a strong odor inside. The officers announced they were inside the home and Verity Beck approached them shortly after, investigators said.
“Where are your parents?” one of the officers asked, according to the criminal complaint.
“They are dead,” Verity Beck allegedly replied.
Police then handcuffed the woman and removed her from the home.
The officers then discovered a human foot inside the home with a blanket covering the rest of the body, investigators said. They also found a chainsaw near the body, blood on the interior of a bedroom door and two trash cans inside the bedroom, according to the criminal complaint.
One trash can was empty while the other appeared to be heavy. When the officers looked inside the trash can they found a white linen covering something. The house was then secured and a search warrant was obtained.
Montgomery County detectives then found the body of a decapitated man wrapped in a comforter while processing the crime scene. They also found a furniture dolly partially underneath the body that investigators believe had been used to move the victim.
The detectives also found a 55-gallon trash receptacle nearby filled with trash bags with severed body parts inside, according to the criminal complaint.
Detectives also discovered a pillow that appeared to have been struck by bullets, a chainsaw, and more body parts inside a trash can in the garage.
Investigators also found unread newspapers from Jan. 7, 2023, indicating the couple had been killed on that date when their son had last heard his mother’s voice.
Detectives also discovered a safe with drill marks on it mounted on the wall of a second floor bedroom and tools nearby, indicating someone without the key or combination had been trying to access the safe, according to the criminal complaint.
Investigators also searched through Verity Beck’s bedroom where they say they found three guns with spent rounds, two of which were registered to her and one of which had no record of ownership.
Later on Wednesday, a forensic pathologist identified the severed bodies found inside the home as that of Reid Beck and Miriam Beck. Autopsies determined that they both died from single gunshot wounds to the head and their deaths were both ruled a homicide.
Based on the evidence collected, investigators concluded that Verity Beck likely placed a pillow on her parents’ faces and shot them at close range before using a chainsaw to dismember their bodies, officials said.
Verity Beck was arrested and charged with first-degree and third-degree murder, which makes her ineligible for bail in Montgomery County. She is currently being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
“This is somebody that is dismembering her mother and father and putting body parts in trash cans,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said. “So clearly she’s trying to get rid of the evidence of her crime.”
Residents who knew Reid and Miriam Beck described them as a happy family who often spent summers at the beach. They were unaware of any issues happening inside the home prior to their murders.
Officials have not yet revealed a possible motive in the murders and continue to investigate. If you have any information on the case, please call Abington detectives at 267-536-1100, option No. 4.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
