New York State Police arrested two men this week in connection with the death of a 35-year-old mother of four whose body was found on a park bench in Lewis County last year. The arrests cap what authorities described as a long investigation into a case that began with what looked like an unexplained death and evolved into something far darker.

According to WPDH, Ariel Marengo of Castorland, New York, was found unresponsive on a picnic table bench at a park on Otter Creek Road in the town of Glenfield. Troopers who responded found no immediate visible signs of trauma. But the circumstances surrounding her death were suspicious enough to launch a criminal investigation.

That investigation led to Kyle T. Simpson, 31, of Lowville, and Anthony R. Diangelo III, 31, of Glenfield.

A body moved, a scene staged

According to New York State Police, Marengo was inside a vehicle parked at Diangelo's residence in Glenfield before her death, while both Diangelo and Simpson were inside the home. Investigators subsequently determined that her body was moved and left at the park on Otter Creek Road.

That finding transformed the case. A woman found dead on a park bench is a tragedy. A woman whose body was transported to that bench is a crime scene.

Simpson, described by police as an acquaintance of Marengo, faces the heavier set of charges:

• Concealment of a Human Corpse, class "E" Felony
• Tampering with Physical Evidence, class "E" Felony
• Obstruction of Governmental Administration
• Resisting Arrest
• Removal of a Body Without a Permit (Public Health Law §4144), Unclassified Misdemeanor

He was arraigned in the Town of Watson Court and remanded without bail.

Diangelo was charged with Concealment of a Human Corpse, Tampering with Physical Evidence, and Removal of a Body Without a Permit. He was taken into custody and is pending arraignment in Lewis County CAP Court.

A mother of four

Behind the police blotter language is a woman with a family. Marengo was a mother to four children. Her obituary painted a picture of someone who left an impression on everyone around her:

"She had a magnetic personality that was wild, funny, generous, and full of life. Ariel brought joy, humor, and just the right amount of outrageous energy to every gathering. She loved deeply, gave freely, and lived boldly."

Four children now grow up without that energy in the room. Whatever happened in that vehicle at Diangelo's residence, whatever decisions led two men to allegedly move her body to a park bench rather than call for help, those children bear the permanent cost.

Questions that remain

The investigation remains ongoing, and the current charges tell only part of the story. Both men face felonies related to concealing a corpse and tampering with evidence, but neither has been charged with homicide. The absence of visible trauma at the scene does not rule out foul play; it may simply mean the cause of death required deeper forensic work. The long gap between Marengo's death last year and the arrests this week suggests investigators spent considerable time building their case.

What authorities have not explained is why two men who were inside a home while a woman sat in a vehicle outside allegedly chose to move her body to a public park rather than dial 911. That decision, by itself, tells you something. Innocent people call ambulances. People with something to hide stage scenes.

Rural communities like those in Lewis County operate on trust. Neighbors know each other. Small-town law enforcement works cases with limited resources but deep local knowledge. The fact that State Police pursued this for the better part of a year, turning a seemingly ambiguous death into felony arrests, speaks to the kind of persistent, unglamorous police work that rarely makes national headlines but delivers justice where it matters most.

Ariel Marengo deserved better than a park bench. Her four children deserve answers. The investigation continues.