A woman has been identified More than three decades after his body was found In New York City, officials said Monday.
According to a press release from the office of District Attorney Melinda Katz, on August 25, 1991, a set of remains, bound at the ankles and covered with a board, were found in a grassy area at the intersection of two Queens, New York parkways. Four men, aged 18 to 20 at the time, were tried and convicted for their roles in the murder.
According to the news release, the investigation found that between July and August 1991, four men approached the victim and drove him to an intersection. During that drive, the victim was tied up and pushed out of the car. A man got out of the car and struck the victim over the head with a large flashlight, killing the victim, the news release said. They then left the scene, but returned two weeks later and attempted to hide the victim's body by placing a large wooden board over it.
Queens District Attorney's Office
The men were arrested and charged in August and September 1991, the DA's office said. One pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree in September 1992. He received prison sentences ranging from eight years to 25 years and was released in 2009 and granted parole in 2016.
Two other men pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment in the first degree and were sentenced to between two years and seven years in prison. Both were released in 1996 and granted parole in April 1998.
The fourth man pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution charges in 1993 and received a prison sentence of one and a half to four and a half years. He was released in 1996 and paroled in July 1997.
Despite the investigation, even after all four men were released from prison and granted parole, the identity of the victim remained unknown. By the time the body was found, it was badly decomposed, making it difficult to identify.
In November 2023, the Queens DA's Cold Case Unit and the New York Police Department arrived at a private laboratory to try to learn more about the victim. It took months, but in April 2024, DNA Labs International “used advanced DNA testing to generate a comprehensive genealogical profile from the skeletal remains,” the office said.
That DNA profile was uploaded to a public database, and the results were given to Detective Joseph Rodriguez of the NYPD's Investigative Genealogy Squad. They created a family tree and discovered an investigative lead, which was shared with the DA's office and the NYPD Cold Case Team. Investigators began reaching out to possible family members of the victim.
Through this process, investigators discovered that the remains were those of 30-year-old Judy Rodriguez, who was reported missing by her family shortly after she was last seen at her daughter's first birthday party on January 23, 1991 . Rodríguez had two other children, and three siblings. Her parents, who raised her children after her disappearance, have died, the DA's office said.
Queens District Attorney's Office
“Three decades ago, four men were convicted of the horrific murder of an unknown woman. Although justice was served, the family went 33 years without answers about their loved one,” Katz said in the news release. “Thanks to our partners at the NYPD and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, we have now provided important details that I hope will provide some measure of comfort.”
According to the news release, the District Attorney's Cold Case Unit is currently investigating approximately 50 homicide victims who have not yet been identified. Earlier this year, the office received a $500,000 grant for advanced DNA testing and genealogical investigations, and since then, the unit has begun genealogical investigations for 14 of those cases.