Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce on Tuesday released information about an investigation into the decomposed body found in the basement of a Carlisle Street, Wilkes-Barre, residence on Feb. 27, 2024. Standing in rear from left: Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown, Wilkes-Barre Police Lieutenant Detective Matthew Stash, Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Carly Levandoski, Wilkes-Barre Police Chief Joseph Coffay and Luzerne County Detective Charles Jensen.
Ed Lewis | Times Leader
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WILKES-BARRE — Five people were arrested for the kidnapping and brutal killing of a Michigan woman who was buried in a tarp and covered with moth balls and lime in the basement of a Carlisle Street, Wilkes-Barre, residence, Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce announced Tuesday.
Sanguedolce identified the woman as Nicole Cuevas, 38, of Saginaw, Mich.
Cuevas was killed and buried in the dirt basement at 142 Carlisle St. in April 2023, and recovered by investigators on Feb. 27, Sanguedolce said.
“During her stay there, she was handcuffed to a basement post, and over the course of several weeks, she was severely beaten, the beatings resulted in bruising, a broken ankle, nearly all of her ribs were broken, her nasal cavity was destroyed, her head was shaved, she was stabbed and slashed in several places including her arm, torso and all over her back, and her hyoid bone in her neck was broken, that is generally indicative to investigators of strangulation,” Sanguedolce said.
Sanguedolce further said Cuevas was repeatedly stomped, kicked and strangled.
Arrested were Desiree Kehaun Linnette, 43, and her daughter, Sarai Kamalani Doyle, 24, both of Edwardsville, Jason P. Race, 43, Faith L. Beamer, 39, both of Wilkes-Barre, and William Benjamin Wolfe, 54, address listed as homeless. They all face charges of criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy to commit criminal homicide, kidnapping, criminal conspiracy to commit kidnapping, aggravated assault and abuse of corpse.
District Judge Rick Cronauer of Wilkes-Barre arraigned the five people who were all denied bail.
Sanguedolce said the investigation is continuing and is related to the death investigation of Debra Fox, 69, whose body was found partially decomposed in a wooded area along the North Cross Valley Expressway in Wilkes-Barre on March 26.
Fox formerly owned the Carlisle Street residence until it was sold at a Luzerne County upset sale in September 2023.
Sanguedolce said Cuevas traveled from Michigan to Wilkes-Barre under the impression of having a relationship. Soon after moving into the Carlisle Street residence with Linnette, Doyole, Race, Beamer and Wolfe, their arrangement turned sour, Sanguedolce said.
Court records filed against the five charged allege Linnette turned against Cuevas telling others inside the residence Cuevas molested a child.
The allegations by Linnette resulted in Cuevas being repeatedly being beaten, kicked, stomped, stabbed and slashed, court records say.
Witnesses who spoke with investigators say they were instructed to stay out of the kitchen and basement when they were inside the house. One of the witnesses stumbled into the kitchen and saw Cuevas with a shaved head and drooling.
When Cuevas’ ankle was broken, she was moved around when propped onto a handcart, court records say.
While handcuffed, Cuevas soiled herself that made Linnette and Race upset resulting in Race stomping on Cuevas’s head until she died.
Investigators recovered the suspected black boots Race wore when he stomped on Cuevas’ head, according to court records.
After Cuevas was killed, the five discussed moving her body to a vacant house on Carlisle Street but Linnette wanted her buried in the basement.
Race took care of digging in the dirt basement and was assisted by others, court records say.
Cuevas’ head was covered with two plastic shopping bags and her body was wrapped in a tarp and tied with electrical cords and rope.
After investigators received information that a body was buried in the basement on Feb. 27, two detectives went to the residence and detected a strong moth ball odor.
As detectives began digging in an area where the dirt basement appeared disturbed, they uncovered the blue tarp about 12 inches below the surface covered in lime and moth balls, court records say.
Students in the anthropology course at Mercyhurst University in Erie assisted in the collection of Cuevas’ remains and trace evidence.
Court records say Cuevas, soon after arriving in Wilkes-Barre in March 2023, sought money from her relatives in Michigan for a bus ticket as she wanted to return home.
Sanguedolce refused to release if a cause and manner of death for Fox has been determined as he said it remains under investigation.