A Niagara County grand jury has indicted a 49-year-old Niagara Falls man on charges that he murdered his live-in girlfriend and buried her body in a shallow grave behind a vacant house, months after he was taken into custody for violating a protective order. Christopher J. Colon is accused of killing 38-year-old Michelle Destefano, of the Falls, and concealing her remains behind the abandoned property at 417 22nd Street.
The indictment, which charges Colon with one count of second-degree murder and one count of concealment of a human corpse, was unsealed Wednesday morning in Niagara County Court, according to the Niagara Gazette. Colon pleaded not guilty to the new charges and is being held by the Niagara County Sheriff's Office. He had previously been indicted on a separate charge of aggravated family offense, the paper reports.
Falls police Criminal Investigation Division and Crime Scene Unit detectives found Destefano's remains in a grave roughly 2 feet wide, 3 feet long and about 18 inches deep, tucked into the backyard of the vacant home. The search was part of a missing-person investigation, and a K-9 located the grave. Investigators spent about four hours digging and sifting through the site, recovering evidence, per the same account.
A Pattern of Police Contact Before the Discovery
Colon had already crossed paths with law enforcement before Destefano's body was found. He was taken into custody by Niagara Falls police in June 2026 for violating an active order of protection that had been issued against him in March 2026, according to Niagara Action.
Neighbors told the Niagara Gazette that a woman and her boyfriend lived at 423 22nd Street and that they had heard and seen the couple fighting at times. “Oh, you could hear them yelling,” one neighbor said, adding, “not that that is unusual in this neighborhood.” The remains were wrapped in blankets, the paper reports.
Hospitalization, a Welfare Check, and Months of Silence
Colon was reportedly hospitalized with a broken leg two days before Destefano's body was discovered, and Niagara Falls police reportedly received a check-the-welfare call for Destefano that same day, according to the Gazette's reporting. Friends and neighbors said they had not seen Destefano in several months. Investigators could not immediately determine how long her body had been buried.
The Erie County Medical Examiner's autopsy was pending, the outlet notes. If convicted on the second-degree murder count, Colon faces up to life in state prison, since the charge is classified as a Class A-I felony carrying a mandatory minimum of 15 to 25 years to life under Penal Law § 125.25, according to the Marwaha Law Group. Colon also faces a charge of concealment of a human corpse.
County Resources Aimed at Stopping Abuse Before It Escalates
The case unfolds against a backdrop of state and county investment in domestic violence response. Governor Kathy Hochul announced a $23 million statewide STRIVE investment through the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, with $1,026,003 directed specifically to Niagara County for prevention, prosecution and victim support, according to the New York State Governor's Office.
