Christine Belusko Wiki – Christine Belusko Biography
Police have publicly identified a woman found murdered in New York City more than 30 years ago, hoping to track down her daughter and identify her killer, authorities announced Tuesday. Investigators revealed that they identified Christine Belusko of Morris County, New Jersey, nearly two years ago, in April 2021, as the woman who for decades was known only as “the girl with the scorpion tattoo.”
Her body was found “badly beaten, strangled and burned” in a vacant lot on the east shore of Staten Island in September 1991, Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon told reporters Tuesday. Found face up, handcuffed and half-naked, she was the victim of what McMahon described as a “brutal and depraved murder” that long concerned local police, who knew little about the victim beyond the distinctive tattoo on her buttocks. .
Christine Belusko Age
Christine Belusko was 29 years old.
Christine Belusko Cause of Death
Now, they’re revealing her identity in hopes of solving another long-standing mystery: who killed her? -and track down the daughter they didn’t know she had. Belusko died of more than 17 blows to the head, most likely from a hammer engraved with “Lloyd L” on the handle found beneath her, and strangulation, she said. David Nilsen, the chief investigative detective for the district attorney’s office.
She was wearing a dress, sneakers and two gold chains, Nilsen said. Her body had been at the scene, near 777 Seaview Ave., since at least 6 p.m. the night before her body was found, he added. Her fingerprints were entered into state and local databases in an attempt to identify her, and sketches of her, her tattoo and her jewelry were shared with the public, Nilsen said.
Authorities pursued any leads they could find about the identity of the victim and her killer, but found nothing, he said. Investigators had identified someone by the name on the handle of the hammer, “Lloyd L,” but there was no indication he was involved and he could not be prosecuted based on the information authorities had, McMahon said. That person is no longer living, the district attorney added.
The circumstances of Belusko’s brutal death suggest that her killer knew her, McMahon said. “There is absolutely no indication that this was done by anyone other than someone who knew her, given the facts of the case and what occurred and the way she was killed, and it doesn’t seem random, but it was certainly very brutal.” , said.
“There is no indication that she was some kind of serial killer on the prowl and she picked her up. She seemed to be someone who knew her,” he added. In 2008, the district attorney’s office reviewed the case and produced Belusko’s DNA. to CODIS, a federal DNA database used by law enforcement, and she sent her dental records to the FBI, Nilsen said. But no new leads surfaced at the time.
Along with the FBI and the New York City Police Department, the district attorney’s office conducted a forensic genealogy investigation and detective work after McMahon decided in 2019 to use the controversial technology to try to solve the case, Nilsen said.
She was identified after sending her blood and tissue to a Houston lab in 2019, targeting potential DNA matches in New York and New Jersey and obtaining a DNA swab from her biological brother, she reported. The New York Times. Belusko had been given up for adoption by a New Jersey woman with eight other children; after learning that she was adopted, she became separated from her adoptive family members and none of them knew she had been murdered, according to the Times.
At the press conference, McMahon said the decision was made to use forensic genealogy, which has helped solve several similar cold cases from decades ago, after “all other methodologies were tried.” “If we can use genealogy to get other factual leads that help us close a case, I don’t see any ethical issues,” he said, adding that authorities would not pursue a conviction based solely on genealogy records.
After finally identifying Belusko in 2021, authorities informed her family members, including her brother, whom they interviewed in June 2021, Nilsen said. (It is not clear if he is the same brother who provided the DNA swab.) The brother told investigators that Belusko had a daughter, Christa Nicole, who was born on August 1, 1989, meaning she had just over 2 years in the hospital. time of her mother’s death.
Detectives have searched records of missing children or children found dead at the time, but none have proven to be connected to the case, McMahon said. Investigators do not know the father of Belusko’s daughter or where the girl was at the time of her mother’s death, authorities said. Authorities are hoping to locate the daughter, who should be 33 and was born at the now-closed Barnert Memorial Hospital in Paterson, New Jersey.
At Tuesday’s press conference, authorities showed an age progression image of what she might look like today. The district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to requests for the photo Wednesday. Authorities also shared more information about Belusko: The last known address of hers was in Clifton, New Jersey, where she lived until late July 1991, investigators said, adding that she had been staying at Mount Airy Lodge. in the Poconos. She had worked at a clothing store, Rainbow Shops, in New Jersey and was wearing clothes from there when she died.
Investigators are still looking into why she was on Staten Island when she died. For now, they hope someone in the public knows something about who killed Belusko or where her daughter might be, they said. “We’ve pretty much gone through every lead we could to try to locate the people who may have known Christa Nicole and any other leads that might help us solve the underlying crime,” McMahon said.
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