A chilling tale has emerged from New Jersey, where a woman and a suspected member of the Bloods gang are said to have taken grotesque photos with a dismembered body. The body, which allegedly belonged to a landlord, was discovered with a hatchet in its chest.

The grim sequence of events reportedly started last month when Gabriella Caroleo, 25, had a dispute with her former boyfriend, Maxwell Johnston, in Manchester Township, New Jersey. Caroleo dialed 911 on June 27, reporting that Johnston, 35, had shot her. She was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where she later succumbed to her injuries.

Assistant Ocean County prosecutor Eleni Demestihas revealed that Caroleo had texted her mother just prior to the fatal shooting, pleading for her to contact the police as she feared for her life. In a subsequent search of the property, police made a horrifying discovery.

Johnston, believed to be a member of the Bloods gang, was located by law enforcement officers from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Manchester Township Police Department, and United States Marshals Service in a residence in Toms River on July 5. The fugitive, who was armed, was found in the company of four others.

Negotiators were able to convince Danielle Bolstad, 42, Jared Krysiak, 34, and Jarred Palumbo, 36, to leave the property. Elizabeth Mascarelli, 29, emerged from the house several hours later. She was taken to Community Medical Center for treatment of injuries sustained during the standoff.

According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, “The residence was subsequently cleared using a drone, and Johnston was located in a bedroom, deceased, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.” Mascarelli was accused of harboring Johnston, a known fugitive, for four days despite being aware of Caroleo’s fatal shooting. She was subsequently arrested and charged with harboring a fugitive from justice.

A court-authorized search of the residence, which was owned by Kerry Rollason, 56, yielded a defaced .22 caliber handgun and evidence of a murder, according to the prosecutor’s office. Rollason was not in the house during the standoff, but was said to have rented it out.

A disturbing revelation came on July 11 when a forensic examination of Mascarelli’s cell phone uncovered gruesome photos. The pictures reportedly showed Mascarelli and Johnston near a dismembered body with a hatchet in its chest, which Mascarelli appeared to be holding. These photos were reportedly taken in the basement of Rollason’s home.

Demestihas stated that “Additional images were recovered depicting Mascarelli, Johnston and Danielle Bolstad in a wooded area, with Johnston holding a large ax, and an active burn barrel behind him. An item with red staining, possibly blood, was also seen protruding from the barrel.” The woods were identified as being in the nearby Jackson area. A search of the property on July 11 led to the discovery of gloves similar to those seen in the photos, soaked with human blood.

According to Demestihas, a knife was found in the barrel, along with two pick axes and a shovel. Cadaver dogs were brought to the area the next day, leading to a gruesome discovery approximately 100 yards from the burn barrel. Body parts in black bags and blankets were found, along with live 9mm ammunition rounds, clothing, latex gloves, and the hatchet seen in the photos.

Mascarelli and Bolstad were ordered to be held without bail at the Ocean County Jail by Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels. Surveillance footage showed Bolstad’s car departing on July 3 at 12:38 a.m. and returning at 4:31 a.m., as noted by Demestihas.

Jarred Palumbo reportedly told investigators that he had been in Rollason’s basement with Krysiak when they heard three gunshots. They were then allegedly told to leave the house by Johnston. “Upon returning a short time later, Johnston began cutting the limbs off the decedent with the help of Mascarelli and Krysiak,” Palumbo said, according to Demestihas. He further claimed that he was asked to bring several bags from the basement and load them into Bolstad’s car three hours later. Palumbo was charged with hindering Johnston’s apprehension and failing to dispose of human remains in a lawful manner.

The cause of Rollason’s death was determined to be multiple gunshot wounds in addition to blunt force trauma, ruling it a homicide. An autopsy by the Ocean County Medical Examiner found that Rollason had been shot three times, with bullets piercing his heart and liver. He also sustained a significant skull fracture due to blunt-force trauma. Rollason was dismembered into eight pieces, according to authorities.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer commented on the horrific crime, declaring, “The crimes committed against Mr. Rollason are unsettling and disturbing. I am thankful for the law enforcement professionals that worked diligently to uncover these depraved and soulless crimes.”

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