'Prolific' New York Artists Who Were a Couple Found Slain Inside N.Y. Home
Michael "Mickey" Harmon, 40, and his partner Jordan Celotto, 37, were identified as the victims, acting Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon announced during a press conference on Wednesday.
According to Deputy Buffalo Police Commissioner Patrick Overdorf, their bodies were found when officers arrived at the property after receiving a call about a "person with a knife." The 911 call was made by a friend who showed up at their home, concerned when one of them had not been to work.
"Upon arrival, the officers did encounter a male with a knife. The male did drop the knife but only after cutting himself," said Overdorf. The 35-year-old man, whose name was not publicly revealed, was transported to the hospital, where he remained as of Wednesday, March 5, under police supervision. He is being considered a "person of interest."
The bodies of Harmon and Celotto were found after officers did a subsequent search of the home. Overdorf said the medical examiner's office determined their cause of death to be blunt force trauma.
While their death remains under investigation by the Buffalo Police homicide squad, Overdorf said "There is no indication at this point in the investigation that it is related to a hate crime. But obviously, we are early in the investigation and continue to investigate all leads."
Council member Mitch Nowakowski, who said Harmon and Celotto had been "partners for quite some time," referred to them as his "personal friends" during the press conference.
Related: What We Know About Chilling Case of Dismembered Students Found in Mexico
"As district council member and as a member of the LGBTQ community, there is nothing that suspects that this was a hate crime, so I want to put those tensions at ease," he said. "The larger Community does not have to be fearful that somebody that could be in connection of these homicides is at large."
While taking questions from reporters, Scanlon said that authorities "don't have an answer" yet as to whether the person of interest had any connection to Harmon and Celotto.
Nowakowski said Harmon was a "prolific artist" who had an art gallery that he owned with a few people called "The Pineapple" on Allen Street. He said art was the "mutual connection" between Harmon and Celotto.
Related: Suspect's Texts Reveal Possible Motive for Killing of Cal Fire Chief: 'I Hurt Her'
"Not only did they have to do different jobs to pay the bills, but they set performances and really garnered the artist community to work together," said Nowakowski, who they were also involved in various community events.
Multiple community members have paid their respects online, including the Pride Center of Western New York, North Park Theatre, Elmwood Village Association, Remedy House and Explore Buffalo.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
GoFundMe campaigns to help cover funeral costs for Harmon and to help Celotto's family have been set up by their loved ones.
Read the original article on People
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Vandals lob bags of dog poop at L.A.-area LGBTQ youth center, officials say
For the past several months, volunteers and community members arriving at the Mi SELA youth center in the city of Bell have encountered a putrid smell. The source? Bags of discarded dog feces. The center is a partnership between the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the Latino Equity Alliance and provides youth clubs, community-building workshops, and cultural and legal resources to the LGBTQ+ community of South Los Angeles. But recently, the center has seen a pattern of dog feces being thrown in front of and onto the awning of the building's entrance. 'There were over 10 bags. That was the second time that we've had to do a full sweep of the awning … I just worry about, what if it does escalate in the future?' Sanva Lojero, Mi SELA's programs manager, told NBC Los Angeles. "This is a youth resource center, so we have clients coming in each day and I don't want them to feel like they're getting harassed.' It's unclear who is throwing the feces — or why. But given the center serves LGBTQ+ youth, some maintain it's deliberate, potentially hate-motivated vandalism. The Latino Equity Alliance denounced the recent incidents as 'abhorrent' and 'unacceptable' in a statement posted on Instagram. 'In 2025, it is shocking that young people and community organizations continue to face such targeted hate and intimidation. While law enforcement has emphasized that action cannot be taken without catching the perpetrators in the act, that does not diminish the urgent need for … a public stance against hate in our communities,' the statement read. L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn has pledged a $2,500 grant to install more security cameras around the community center in hopes of capturing the perpetrators. 'The fact that this person is going out of their way to do this says everything about them and nothing about our LGBTQ community in Southeast L.A.,' Hahn said in a statement. With security cameras now likely on their way, Mi SELA's staff say they won't be deterred from their mission. 'We're not going anywhere, we're going to still keep providing resources,' Lojero said. Anyone with information can contact the Bell Police Department at (323) 585-1245. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Los Angeles Times
Vandals lob bags of dog poop at L.A.-area LGBTQ youth center, officials say
For the past several months, volunteers and community members arriving at the Mi SELA youth center in the city of Bell have encountered a putrid smell. The source? Bags of discarded dog feces. The center is a partnership between the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the Latino Equity Alliance and provides youth clubs, community-building workshops, and cultural and legal resources to the LGBTQ+ community of South Los Angeles. But recently, the center has seen a pattern of dog feces being thrown in front of and onto the awning of the building's entrance. 'There were over 10 bags. That was the second time that we've had to do a full sweep of the awning … I just worry about, what if it does escalate in the future?' Sanva Lojero, Mi SELA's programs manager, told NBC Los Angeles. 'This is a youth resource center, so we have clients coming in each day and I don't want them to feel like they're getting harassed.' It's unclear who is throwing the feces — or why. But given the center serves LGBTQ+ youth, some maintain it's deliberate, potentially hate-motivated vandalism. The Latino Equity Alliance denounced the recent incidents as 'abhorrent' and 'unacceptable' in a statement posted on Instagram. 'In 2025, it is shocking that young people and community organizations continue to face such targeted hate and intimidation. While law enforcement has emphasized that action cannot be taken without catching the perpetrators in the act, that does not diminish the urgent need for … a public stance against hate in our communities,' the statement read. L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn has pledged a $2,500 grant to install more security cameras around the community center in hopes of capturing the perpetrators. 'The fact that this person is going out of their way to do this says everything about them and nothing about our LGBTQ community in Southeast L.A.,' Hahn said in a statement. With security cameras now likely on their way, Mi SELA's staff say they won't be deterred from their mission. 'We're not going anywhere, we're going to still keep providing resources,' Lojero said. Anyone with information can contact the Bell Police Department at (323) 585-1245.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Bell LGBTQ center vandalized with dozens of bags of dog feces
For several months, an LGBTQ center in Bell has spent its days cleaning up dozens of bags of dog feces from their front entrance. The Mi SELA LGBTQ+ youth resource center, operated by the Latino Equality Alliance, provides a range of community services, including mental health and substance abuse workshops, support groups for parents of LGBTQ+ individuals, and neighborhood clean-ups. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn awarded the center a $2,500 grant to upgrade its security cameras and shared video footage of the center's staff shoveling dozens of dog feces off its awning. "The fact that this person is going out of their way to do this says everything about them and nothing about our LGBTQ community in Southeast LA," Hahn said in a statement. "This is gross and cowardly. I hope that the people who depend on Mi SELA know how much they are loved and supported in this community and do not take this hate to heart." Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Bell Police Department at (323) 585-1245.
