This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/nyregion/woman-remains-bronx-parks.html

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Remains Found in 2 Bronx Parks Belong to Same Woman, Police Say Police Identify Young Woman Found Dismembered in the Bronx
(about 5 hours later)
Human remains found stuffed in trash bags at two Bronx parks over the past week belong to the same woman, and the authorities say she was beaten to death. The woman whose body parts were found stuffed in trash bags at two Bronx parks over the past week was identified on Wednesday as a missing 25-year-old woman, who the authorities said was beaten to death and dismembered.
Park visitors discovered the woman’s arms and feet in three trash bags underneath a pier in Baretto Point Park in Hunts Point on Tuesday evening, four days after her head and torso were found two miles away in Crotona Park, the police said. The police identified the woman as Lisa Velasquez, of the Melrose Houses, on Wednesday, a day after parkgoers discovered her arms and feet in three trash bags underneath a pier in Barretto Point Park in Hunts Point. Her head and torso were found on Friday two miles away in Crotona Park, the police said.
Investigators on Wednesday were trying to determine who discarded her remains after the medical examiner ruled that her death resulted from “homicidal violence including blunt force trauma.” Ms. Velasquez had been missing since Aug. 21, and her relatives posted a flier and a message on Facebook asking for help in finding her.
The woman has not been identified and the police still have no suspects, the police said. The police released a sketch of the victim, describing her as white and Hispanic. The medical examiner ruled that Ms. Velasquez’s death resulted from “multiple blunt-impact injuries” that fractured her skull.
It was the second time since April that a woman’s head and torso had been found separate from her limbs in city parks, but the police said investigators do not believe the two cases — one in the Bronx and the other in Brooklyn — are connected.It was the second time since April that a woman’s head and torso had been found separate from her limbs in city parks, but the police said investigators do not believe the two cases — one in the Bronx and the other in Brooklyn — are connected.
Three passers-by, two women in their 30s and a 63-year-old man, discovered the second set of remains on Tuesday shortly after 7 p.m. on the Baretto Point Park shoreline underneath the Tiffany Street Pier. The victim’s left foot was jutting out of a bag that also contained her left arm; a second bag was empty, and investigators determined that an unopened third bag contained her right arm and leg by patting it down, the police said. Three passers-by, two women in their 30s and a 63-year-old man, discovered the bags containing Ms. Velasquez’s limbs on Tuesday shortly after 7 p.m. on the Barretto Point Park shoreline.
The toenails on the exposed foot were painted, and a woman’s shirt was also found near the remains, the police said. The victim’s left foot was jutting out of a bag that also contained her left arm and was found underneath the Tiffany Street Pier; a second bag was empty, an unopened third bag contained her right arm and leg, the police said.
Last Friday, a seasonal Parks Department worker found the woman’s head and torso in a trash bag near a sidewalk outside Crotona Park. The toenails on her left foot were painted, and a woman’s shirt was also found near the remains, the police said.
Police Chief Dermot F. Shea said the police had received numerous tips, but the woman’s identity remains unknown. Last Friday, a seasonal Parks Department worker found Ms. Velasquez’s head and torso in a trash bag near a sidewalk outside Crotona Park.
Discoveries of human remains are rare, but not unheard-of, in New York.Discoveries of human remains are rare, but not unheard-of, in New York.
The Bronx case was similar to the discovery of a woman’s remains in Canarsie Park in Brooklyn in April. The police believe that woman, Brandy Odom, 26, was killed before her limbs were severed.The Bronx case was similar to the discovery of a woman’s remains in Canarsie Park in Brooklyn in April. The police believe that woman, Brandy Odom, 26, was killed before her limbs were severed.
Ms. Odom was identified by her mother after the authorities disclosed that her torso had the word “Chocolate” tattooed above her left breast.Ms. Odom was identified by her mother after the authorities disclosed that her torso had the word “Chocolate” tattooed above her left breast.
There have been no arrests in Ms. Odom’s case and the police said their investigation was continuing.There have been no arrests in Ms. Odom’s case and the police said their investigation was continuing.