Accused Body-Hiding Roomie Ordered Held Without Bail: Reports

Alexander Acevedo, 23, of Midlothian | Cook County Sheriff

A 23-year-old Midlothian man accused of stuffing his roommate’s body into a suitcase and then hiding it in a basement storage unit after she reportedly overdosed on drugs was ordered held without bail.

Alexander Acevedo appeared in bond court at Leighton Criminal Court Building on charges of concealing a death and obstructing justice.

• Also on Patch: Roommate Hid Midlothian Woman’s Body in Suitcase: Cops

According to the charges, Acevedo panicked after his roommate, Kimberly Putterlik, 25, overdosed on drugs around Nov. 13. The next day, he put her body into a suitcase and brought it to a basement storage unit of their apartment building in the 14500 S. Keystone Avenue in Midlothian.

A resident flagged down police on Thanksgiving Day reporting a foul odor in the basement. Police followed the odor to a suitcase in an unlocked storage, where they found Putterlik’s body.

Midlothian police and investigators from the South Suburban Major Crime Task Force remained on the scene throughout most of the day Thursday.

The cause of Putterlik’s death is pending upon return of the toxicology report.

Acevedo allegedly told investigators after his arrest on Friday that he didn’t call police when it happened because he was afraid he’d kicked out of the apartment.

After he hid Putterlik’s body in the suitcase and moved it into the storage area, he took many of her belongings, including drug paraphernalia, and tossed them into several dumpsters, prosecutors said.

Neighbors told the Chicago Tribune of seeing young people streaming in and out of the roommates’ second-floor apartment presumably to buy drugs.

A police source connected to the major crimes task force described the unit as a “flop house.”

Acevedo’s next court hearing is Dec. 1 in Markham.