A rotting body hidden inside a school chimney forced New York parents to ask a question they never imagined: how does a person die inside a public school and no one notice for who knows how long?
Story Snapshot
- Human remains were found inside the chimney of PS 113 in Glendale, Queens, just after summer break began.
- An exterminator called to check a foul odor opened the ash dump, found a shoe, and then felt a human foot.
- No students or staff were in the building; the school was closed for construction when the body was discovered.
Human remains in a neighborhood school, discovered by smell
Police say the story started with a bad smell inside PS 113, a combined elementary and middle school in Glendale, Queens, just days after classes ended for the summer.
A custodian, thinking it might be dead pests or animals, called an exterminator to check the odor coming from the chimney area.
Around 9 a.m. Tuesday, the exterminator opened the ash dump at the base of the chimney and saw a shoe. When he reached in, he felt what turned out to be a human foot.
That single moment turned a routine maintenance call into a major crime scene. The exterminator contacted police right away. Officers responded to a 911 call about possible human remains at the school and confirmed there was a decomposing body inside the chimney structure.
The school building was shut for the summer and under repair, with only contractors and a few staff present. Officials stressed that no students or regular school staff were inside at the time of the discovery.
Inside the investigation: what police and examiners know so far
New York City investigators and the Crime Scene Unit moved in to secure the area and begin careful work at the chimney. Human remains are not easy to remove from a tight vertical space, especially if the body is wedged or has been there for a long period.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner now has the job of figuring out two things that matter most: who the victim is and how that person died. As of the latest reporting, both identity and cause of death remain unknown.
Police described the remains as apparent human remains and made clear many key facts are still open questions. They do not yet know how long the body had been in the chimney or how it got there.
There have been no public reports of a missing contractor linked to the school, and detectives plan to question construction workers and anyone with access to the building over the last year.
Until the autopsy, DNA testing, and dental records are complete, authorities cannot even say whether the victim was male or female with full certainty, or whether this was an accident, suicide, or homicide.
A closed school, ongoing construction, and a hidden risk
The timing feeds fear. According to the official calendar, classes ended just days before the discovery, and the school building closed for summer construction projects. City officials confirmed that repairs were underway to the hot water heating and electrical wiring when the exterminator was called in.
That means contractors, not children, spent the most time inside the building as the smell grew stronger. Police sources have said they will ask contractors if any of their workers are missing or failed to show up for jobs.
For parents, the idea that a body could be inside a chimney in their child’s school at any point is deeply upsetting, even if no kids were present when it was found.
City public schools released a statement calling the discovery “deeply upsetting and concerning” and promising mental health and support services for the school community while the police investigation continues.
Hard questions about safety, oversight, and common sense
This case raises questions that go beyond one Queens school. How does a person end up inside a chimney of a public building without anyone noticing during construction and routine inspections?
Older school buildings in New York often have complex, aging infrastructure. Safety depends on basic habits: checking sealed spaces, tracking who enters and exits a site, and taking strange smells seriously, sooner rather than later. Construction oversight must be more than paperwork; it needs real eyes and accountability.
Exterminator finds human remains in chimney of Queens middle school https://t.co/JGahOfHoSp via @gothamist
— leonie haimson (@leoniehaimson) July 1, 2026
The lack of clear answers fuels speculation online, but guesswork helps no one. From this view, the focus should stay on facts: a body was found, a family somewhere may not yet know what happened to their loved one, and officials must do the slow, technical work to learn the truth.
Media should inform, not inflame. Parents should demand honest updates, not panic. Until investigators complete their work, the most responsible stance is to apply firm pressure for transparency and to be patient with the process.
Sources:
abcnews.com, abc7.com, people.com
