New York's Cold Cases

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Updated 5-2-2012: Murder of Gary Germain added.

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Teen Disappears After Leaving Party With Acquaintances On January 16, 1987, Joseph Helt was last seen with three friends after attending a late night/early morning party. Helt had been seen with them hanging out at the remains of the Mount Cathalia ski lodge in the town of Cragsmoor. The seventeen year old Ellenville teenager got in a car with three other people around his age. That was the last anyone has ever seen of Helt. According to the men he was with, their car got stuck in a ditch on Sam's Point Road, just s few miles from the party. The three claimed that Helt got upset and chose to walk five miles back to his house in the cold despite the fact that two of them lived around two miles away. Within days., a search party was formed but called off due to a major snowstorm that was heading their way at the time. Helt has never been found and there are many questions regarding the stories of the three men he was last seen with. At the time of his disappearance, he was 5'9" (175 cm) and 150 pound (68 kg). His hair was blonde and eyes were brown. He was last seen wearing, a camouflage jacket, t-shirt, long sleeve thermal shirt, white colored high-top tennis shoes and a grey hooded sweatshirt. There are theories that Helt was murdered and fliers about the case have been torn down. For more information about this case as well as the names of the three people with Helt that night, please view the video below. If you have any information about this case, please contact the New York State Police at 845-626-2800.

Security Guard Gunned Down - Suspect Unknown Tuesday night, around 10:00 to 10:20 pm, December 20, 1988 Gary Germaine was executed by a gunshot to the head. The Hatian born 34 year old father had been working for only six weeks as a security guard on the Moningside Heights campus of Columbia University. It is believed that he was murdered between a student-run convenience store in Furnald Hall and the Journalism School building (now the Pulitzer Building). There had been no struggle and no weapon or bullet casings were ever found. The case has gone cold for decades and the motive for the homicide is still unknown. It is possible that Germaine may have confonted a would be thief. In prior months, there had been two armed robberies of a nearby convenience store. An unknown man had stolen money from a cash register armed with a revolver. Germain's family is still looking for justice for the former US Army Veteran. If you have any information about this case, you are urged to contact the Manhattan District Attorney at (212) 335-9000.

What Happened to Young Couple in Love? It's a mystery that has plagued the family and friends of two teenagers since the summer of 1973. Sixteen year old Mitchel Weiser and his 15 year old girlfriend Bonita Bickwit set out to hitchhike to a concert in Watkins Glen, that had famous bands such as the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers Band performing in it. The destination was about 75 miles from where Bonita had been working at a Jewish overnight camp called "Camp Wel-Met" in Narrowsburg. Weiser had come to visit from Brooklyn (where they both were from) and they left on July 23rd. There last known sighting was when they were hitchhiking on route 97. They have not been seen since. There have been many theories as to what may have happened. One unlikely one, is that they had voluntarily disappeared. However, both enjoyed good relationships with their families. The second is that something may have happened to them at the concert or while hitchhiking. However, in 2000, a witness cam forward claiming that he was on a bus with the two missing teens on their way back from the concert. He claimed that Bickwit went into a river and got into trouble. Weiser went in to save her and they both got swept down the river. The story has many holes in it and much of it can not be verified. If you have any information about the disappearance of these two, please call 1-800-346-3543 or visit the website dedicated to them http://www.mitchelandbonnie.com/

Is There More than One Serial Killer Stalking Long Island The body of a womans torso was located on June 28, 1997 in Hempstead, New York. Police do not have much to go on except that she was black or biracial and had a picture of this two inch tattoo of peach shaped like a heart with a bite taken out of it and two drops falling. The tattoo was on the deceased womans breast. Police eventually located a tattoo artist out of Bristol, Connecticut who claimed to have created that tattoo for a woman prior to 1997. There is not much known about the victim except that she was seen with a friend from the Bristol area. The deceased woman also indicated that she was from New York and was planning to see friends in East Hartford that night. The tattoo artist estimated her age to be 18-20 years old. The woman also had an abdominal scar, which could have resulted from a caesarean section. It is possible that this woman has relatives living in Connecticut that could identify this woman by her tattoo. If you know who this woman is please contact the Nassau County Police Department at 1-800-244-TIPS. For additional information about this case visit the Doe Network. In December 2010, the remains of four white adult females were Megan Waterman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amanda Costello and Melissa Barthelemy were found near Gilgo Beach, in Suffolk County, NY. The area is off of the interstate, the Ocean Parkway in southern Long Island. The areas where the victims were found were remote and not easily seen. The four had been found in burlap sacks and all had advertised their services as prostitutes on the website Craigslist. In one case, the sister of one of the victims had been taunted by the killer via (victim's) cellphone. Police came across the bodies when they were looking for the possible human remains of 24 year old, Shannan Gilbert. Like the previous four victims, Gilbert had also advertised her escort services on Craigslist. She had last been seen near the area where the women were found. IT is believed that she may also be a victim of the same killer that left four victims in the burlap bags. As Law Enforcement widened their search additional bodies were found including two in nearby Nassau County. One is of an Asian male (late teens to twenties), a female toddler (less than two years old) was also found. Police believe that two other bodies found maybe from a different serial killer. The head, hands and forearms of then 20 year old Jessica Taylor. Taylor was a street prostitute whose torso was found around forty-five miles away in Eastern Long Island in Manorville years earlier in July 2003. When her torso was found, the killer tried to remove the tattoo from her body. Ultimately it was her tattoo that led to her identification. Another female (composite sketch center)was butchered similarly in Manorville in November 2000 when hunters found her decapitated body in a wooded area near Halsey-Manor Road. Her additional remains including her head were found not far from the other victims. The identity of this female remains unknown (a sketch of what she looks like is above on the left). The fact that these two women had their bodies scattered in areas near each other leads law enforcement to believe that this maybe the spot of more than one killer. Another victim pictured above had her skull found in the area and her legs were found in a garbage bag in 1996 west of Davis Park Beach. Along the same stretch of highway the remains of an unidentified Asian male (composite sketch, age 17 - 20 believed) was found. An unidentified female toddler and the remains of her nameless biological mothers were found miles apart not far from other bodies. There have been other bodies of women dismembered on Long Island. However, Police believe that as many as four killers are responsible for the bodies found near this stretch of the Ocean . IF you have any information about this case, please call the Suffolk Police Department at 800-220-TIPS. You can remain anonymous.

Decades Later, Who is this John Doe? On April 2, 1985 the body of a white male estimated to be around 25 to 35 years of age was found in the town of Philipstown, New York. It is believed that he was deceased for around twenty months and that he was found 8/10ths of a mile west of the Taconic State Parkway. At the time of his death, he wore a dress shirt that had yellow, blue and red stripes and size 10 dark brown Dunham work boots. He wore three pairs of pants; dungaree shorts, beige corduroy shorts, and green army type long pants. Four pairs of underwear sizze 34 and three pairs of white socks. It is believed around 5 feet 10 inches tall with white hair. At one time he had worn braces. Also found on him were a hair comb, two plastic prayer cards, dental floss and a map of the New York / New Jersey areas. If you have any information about who this person might be, please contact the New York State Police Troop K at 845-298-0398. All calls can be confidential.

Who Killed Rap Superstar? Run DMC is one of the most famous rap acts in all of music. Jason Mizell whose stage name was Jam Master Jay was the DJ for hip hop power trio. On the evening of October 20, 2002, Mizzell was shot to death at his recording studio on Merrick Blvd. in Queens. Since then, questions have persisted as to how much witnesses of the killing knew. Theories have circulated for the last ten years. Some point to a “hit” by a New York City Drug Lord because Mizell refused to abide by a blacklisting of rap artists, FittyCent. FittyCent had apparently created a rap song about the Drug Lord. Other theories point to possible inner circle conflicts. There are people that have been named as possible suspects but no has been charged For more information about the murder of Jam Master Jay visit http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1576088/jam-master-jays-murder-timeline.jhtml

Famous Mob Hit Never Solved Even Though There are Suspects New York City is called the Big Apple. For many in the United States, it's known as Mafia Central. The Five families still operate even though they have been weakened through mass arrests and deaths. In the city, one can see the places where many a famous and feared mobster fell victim to violence. Paul Castellano, "Cigar smoking" Carmine Galante, and Joe Columbo are just a few of the fallen. Their cases have been solved and their killers identified. However, it is the assassination of Albert Anastasia that is still a topic of mafia enthusiasts, it has never been solved. The Italian born Anastasia came to the United States as a teenager and almost immediately began a life of crime. He served prison time for a murder of a co-worker and soon became involved "La Cosa Nostra". He was one of the leaders of Murder Inc., a hit squad comprised of Italian and Jewish American hitmen. It is believed that they may have carried out over 400 homicides, many which were never solved. The few people that ever crossed Anastasia often went missing or were killed. That included mobsters higher up the chain of command. Other mobsters soon grew concerned about Anastasia and his lust for power and violence. It is theorized that some high ranking members of other Mafia families put together a plan to eliminate him. During the morning of October 25, 1957, he went to a barber shop at the Park Sheraton Hotel in Mid-town Manhattan at 56th Street and 7th Avenue. Anastasia's bodyguard had left him alone in the barbershop. As Anastasia was on the barber chair, two men with scarves on their face barged in and shot at Anastasia. After a brief struggle, the feared mobster was killed. Even fifty years later, suspicion points at several high power mobsters as ordering the hit. Carlo Gambino, Vito Genovese, Meyer Lansky and Charles "Lucky" Luciano are some of the persons of interest. It is believed that the gunmen could have been "Crazy" Joe Gallo, a mafioso from Brooklyn or even hitmen from the Patriarca Crime Family which was out of Rhode Island. There is no question why Anastasia was killed or who might have done it. Problem is, there is a long list of suspects.

Brutal Death of Student Still Haunts New York City Almost a decade later, people still remember the murder of twenty-one year old Sarah Fox. The Julliard School of Music Student had been reported missing on May 19, 2004. She had gone out jogging . Her naked body was found in a park in Northern Manhattan four days later. The 5-foot-2, 110 pound woman had her larynx crushed probably from strangulation. The Medical Examiner's office could not make a determination if she had been sexually assaulted. Who did this remains a mystery though Law Enforcement has looked at one person very carefully. Dimitry Sheinman is a self proclaimed clairvoyant who believes he knows who the killer is. He has never been charged with a crime and despite attention on him, still willingly corresponds with police. Police have also looked at other leads as to who killed Sarah Fox. If you have information as to who murdered Sarah Fox, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.

Two Unidentified Murder Victims in Two Different States, With New York Connections, On September 28, 1995, a patrol officer made a startling discovery behind a Hartford Road Strip Mall just a hundred yards off of Route 9 in New Britain, Connecticut. Wrapped in plastic and a sleeping bag, a dead young woman shot in the head once. To this day, her identity is still unknown. Her age was estimated to be about 17 to 20 years old. Her race was white, possibly hispanic. She weighed 116 pounds, was 5'3, had brown hair and brown eyes. She had a vertical piercing above her naval. She was found wearing white farmer type jeans, white athletic socks, LA Gear shoes size 6 1/2, a size 34B maroon bra, a Gitano watch, a herringbone necklace and a ring with a pink stone on her right hand. There is a $50,000 reward authorized by the State of Connecticut for the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators of this crime. In Late September of 2009, Police Departments from three states have made strides in getting closer to solving this woman's identity. They have linked her with an older female that was murdered around the same time (8 days later) in the Tolland State Forest in Massachusetts. Police believe the two victims are mother/daughter. The victim in this case may have been bi-racial or hispanic. She wore glasses and been killed by a gunshot wound to the head. Her age could have ranged between 30-45 years. The victim smoked and had poor dental hygiene but had an upper and lower bridge work with only a few of her own natural teeth left. Physical evidence points them to the Albany, New York area where they may have spent the better part of a year before their deaths. To see a sketch of the Massachusetts victim please visit here. The area where the younger female was found has also had three other murder victims nearby (see Connecticut Cold Cases page). Of those three, only one has been identified and police do not believe the death of the two women from Albany are linked in any way. IF you have any information about the murder(s) or identities of these two murder victims please call the New Britain, Connecticut police at 860-826-3069 or 860-826-3000. Or you can call the Massachusetts State Police at 413-747-4810.

Young Murder Victim, No Name, No Killer(s) It is perhaps one of the most baffling cases in the last 100 years in New York State. On November 9, 1979, the body of a young teenage girl was found in Caledonia in a cornfield. Her body had been found around 20 feet from the south side of Route 20 and a half of mile from the intersection with Route 5.She had suffered two gunshot wounds to the head. Police believe she could have been between the ages of 13 and 19. Her height was 5'3 and she weighed 120 pounds. Police theorize she could have been hitching rides with truckers as two eyewitnesses gave testimony that this might have been the case. There are some clues about the victim. She had tooth decay yet no broken bones. She had not been sexually assaulted. An unusual characteristic was that she had tanlines when she was found. Her hair was also lightly frosted in her front which at the time was a popular hairstyle. The tanned complexion brings into question if she was from another part of the country or had just came back from a tropical vacation. For more information about the victim please visit the Doe Network Page for the victim . If you have any information about this victim, please call the Livingston County Sheriff's Office 585-243-7120.

Who is Gramma Doe? She was found deceased on September 26, 1995 off of Squaw Island in the Niagara River in Buffalo. The cause of death was drowning. Her age is estimated to be between 60 to 70 years of age. She was around the height of 5'3 and 150 to 160 pounds. Law Enforcement states that at the time of her death, she was well dressed and nourished. The unidentified female had blue eyes and gray hair. When found she was dressed mostly in white; a whitish or cream like lightweight trench coat with butterfly pin. White sneakers. Light colored slacks, white blouse. For more information about this case visit the Doe Network at http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/511ufny.html . If you know or have information as to who this woman may be, please contact the Buffalo Police Department at 716-851-4511.

College Student's Slaying Still Cold It was Super Bowl Sunday - January 28, 2001. It was the last day 18 year old freshman at Syracuse University was alive. She had been stabbed to death in the sixth floor apartment at 600 James Street in Syracuse. The murder weapon was a kitchen knife of hers and Police theorize she may have known her killer. The crime may have happened between noon and 9pm. Euto at the time besides being a student, also worked at the nearby Shoppingtown Mall. There is a $13,000.00 reward offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Euto's killer(s). If you have any information about the murder of Jill Lyn Euto, please contact the Syracuse Police Department at (315) 442-5222 or email them at the address Eutoinfo@syracusepolice.org. You can also visit the website http://www.justice4jill-lyn.org/ or email the webmaster at the site at the address of Justice4jilllyn@aol.com

Reward in Christmas Party Slaying In December of 2004, 22 year old Michael Berrios was stabbed to death outside of a Christmas PArty in the Elmhurst section of Queens, New York. The College student and personal trainer had just gotten into an altercation with four other men after he had an argument with his girlfriend. The men stabbed him in the chest and chased him down to 47th Avenue. He was beaten with baseball bats wielded by the killers. His girlfriend later found him deceased. She is not a suspect and it is believed to be a random crime. The case is profiled on the America's Most Wanted Website http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=34560 . There is a $20,000 dollar reward being offered for the conviction of those responsible for this crime. If you have any information about this killing, you are urged to call CrimeStoppers at 1(800)577-TIPS.

College Student Vanishes After Work 19 year old, Suzanne Lyall disappeared on a Monday night on March 2, 1998. At 9:45PM she had been last seen exiting a CDTA bus at Collins Circle, on the uptown campus of the University at Albany . She is described as being5 feet 3 inches tall, and around 175 pounds. She had long blond hair and blue eyes. At the time of her disappearance, she was last seen wearing a long black trench coat, blue jeans, and a black shirt. The sophomore at college wore glasses and had had pierced ears. Around the time that she was last seen, Lyall had worked at Babbages Software which is located in the Crossgates Mall in Guilderland. A day after she went missing, her ATM card was used at Stewarts Store at the corner Manning Boulevard and Central Avenue. For more information about this case visit http://charleyproject.org/cases/l/lyall_suzanne.html There is a $25,000 reward to the individual who can provide information leading to the arrest and convictions of the person(s) responsible for her disappearance. If you have any information about the disappearance of Suzanne Lyall please call the New York State Police at 519-783-3211 or at 899-940-4150. All calls can be confidential.

Who Murdered Upper Eastside Jewel Salesman It was in January 27, 2010 when Henry (Hank) Menahem was shot to death in R.S. Durant a jewelery store on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. The gunman had said he needed the jewelry because his child was sick and then fired the fatal bullet. He was described as wearing a blue overcoat, gray slacks, a black wool coat and sunglasses. The seventy one year old father of three succumbed to a gunshot wound to the chest. To date, the gunman has not been found. However, a man by the name of Edward Alma was arrested for having possession of some of the four million dollars worth of items stolen from the store. He is in prison currently awaiting trial. Still no word on who killed Menahem but it is obvious that Alma may have a connection to the crime. If you have any information on this case, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. All calls can be confidential.

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