Severed Head Found in Green Bay Home

Shad Thyrion’s head was found by his mother in a bucket in the basement of her home. Taylor Schabusiness is accused of the murder.

Warning: This is a very violent and disturbing story. Reader’s discretion is advised.

There has been updated information for Schabusiness. Link to update is at the end of this article.

On February 23rd, 2022, a woman found the severed head in a bucket at her home in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The woman reported that she had heard a door slam in the early morning hours, around 2 or 3 am. She awoke to find a terrifying scene straight out of a horror movie.

It was reported that 24-year-old Taylor D. Schabusiness was the last one to see the 24-year-old victim, Shad Thyrion. When Schabusiness was found at her home, she had dried blood on her clothing. Upon searching the suspect’s vehicle, they found a crockpot containing other body parts including legs.

After obtaining a warrant to search the victim’s home, they discovered more body parts, all believed to be from the same male victim. In a storage container, they found an upper torso. They, also, found what is described as a “male organ” as well as “body fluid.”

When asked what had happened, Schabusiness admitted to being with the victim the night of the 21st and the day of the 22nd. They had been friends with a sexual relationship. She said they had smoked meth together. Also, Schabusiness injected Thyrion and herself with trazodone, a drug typically used as an antidepressant.

At some point, the pair went back to the victim’s mother’s home where they went down into the basement and stayed there for the majority of the 22nd. There, they had sex while incorporating chains and choking. Schabusiness described the chains as “like a dog’s choke collar.” She said Thyrion laid face down on the bed. She, then, went “crazy” and began to choke him with the chain and she did not stop. Thyrion began coughing up blood and his face turned purple. Schabusiness claimed that she enjoyed choking him and continued to do it but did not mean to kill him. Before Schabusiness began dismembering Thyrion’s body, she “played with the body for like two or three hours.”

Schabusiness obtained knives from the kitchen of the residence and began dismembering and decapitating the victim’s body. She claimed that a bread knife worked best because of its serrated blade. The suspect then put body parts in whatever bags and containers she could find in the basement of the residence. She also put the knives in a bag and left them in the basement.

Schabusinnes admitted that she got lazy and paranoid at some point during the incident. She had originally planned to take all of the body parts with her. She stated that she got lazy and only ended up putting the leg in her van and she forgot the head which she had placed in a black bucket with a blanket over top.

Taylor Schabusiness is due for a court hearing on March 22nd, 2022. Her bond has been set at $2 million because she is a possible flight risk due to a recent conviction for fleeing, eluding, and obstructing a police officer. On January 4th, she had already been sentenced to 3 months in jail with work-release privileges, according to court records online.

She is charged with 1st Degree Intentional Homicide, Mutilating a Corpse, and 3rd Degree Sexual Assault. Prosecutors say the sexual assault charges are for actions after the victim’s death while she “played” with the body.

There are still many unanswered questions with this case.

Shad Thyrion’s family has started a GoFundMe to help with the unexpected expenses and funeral costs. You can find the campaign below.

Shad was described as “a very kind and compassionate person who often thought of others before himself.”