Police Arrest Suspect in Ellenville Murder Investigation

A 28-year-old man has been charged with murder in connection with the death of a woman found inside her Ulster County apartment last month, New York State Police said.

Michael David Carman, of Westbrookville, was arrested following a multistate investigation into the death of Nicole Izabella Perez, 29, whose body was discovered March 30 during a welfare check at her residence on Clinton Avenue in the Village of Ellenville.

Officers with the Ellenville Police Department initially responded to the apartment after the welfare check request and found Perez dead inside. The case was turned over to New York State Police, who later determined the death was a homicide.

Perez had lived in Ellenville “for quite a while,” according to local officials, and her death sent shockwaves through the small community. “Everybody feels terrible for her and her family,” Ellenville Mayor Evan Trent told the Times Union in the days following the discovery.

Investigators identified Carman as a suspect and determined he had fled New York. State police, working with the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement agencies in Florida, located him in Clay County, where he was taken into custody.

An Ulster County Court judge issued a warrant charging Carman with second-degree murder. He was held in Florida as a fugitive from justice pending extradition.

Carman was returned to New York on April 13 and is being held at the Ulster County Jail. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Ulster County Court on April 15 at 9 a.m.

Multiple agencies assisted in the investigation, including the Ellenville Police Department, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville Beach Police Department and the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.

Authorities have released few additional details about the circumstances of Perez’s death as the investigation continues.

Image: Nicole Perez, who was found deceased inside her Ellenville apartment on March 30, 2026, when members of the Ellenville Police Department conducted a welfare check. (Brooks Funeral Home)