Man Charged With Concealment of Human Corpse In Connection With Hudson Valley Missing Women

A man jailed in Queens is accused of hiding the dead body of a missing upper Hudson Valley woman.

Halle P. Schmidt, 21, of Copake was reported missing by her family in early Sept. After learning of Schmidt’s disappearance the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and Criminal Investigators launched an aggressive investigation which included interviews with several friends and acquaintances, and the investigation of numerous leads.

Hours of surveillance video helped police create a timeline of Schmidt’s whereabouts up until the time she went missing.

On Sept 9, a potential lead sent investigators to Queens to interview 32-year-old Rasheem Cotman of Queens. During the interview, Cotman allegedly made admissions about his involvement in the case. His interview led to the search and discovery of Schmidt's body in the area of Old Post Road in Kinderhook, police say.

An autopsy performed on Schmidt found that she died as a result of a heroin overdose.

On Tuesday, Cotman was arrested at Rikers Island Correctional Facility and charged with concealment of a humane corpse, a class E felony.

Cotman was transported back to Columbia County and arraigned in the Town of Kinderhook Court. He was remanded to the Columbia County Jail with no bail. He is due back in court at a later date.

Authorities did not say how Cotman and Schmidt interacted, how his admissions led them to find Schmidt, or why they allege he hid her corpse.