Found Deceased NY - Avonte Oquendo, 14, Long Island City, 4 Oct 2013

[margarita25]

Could he have been hit by a boat? Either prior to or after being deceased?

 

[margarita25]

http://pix11.com/2014/01/17/body-parts-found-may-be-linked-to-avonte-oquendo-police-source/

"The NYPD Harbor Unit is searching for additional body parts that could belong to Avonte Oquendo."

"Police waders are searching the water with dogs sniffing the terrain along the shore as part of a concerted effort to turn up the rest of the body."

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"Oquendo’s mother, who has hoped that her son was being held by a kidnapper, has been notified and will be taken to the medical examiner’s office later today to examine clothing found on the body parts, police told PIX11 News."

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"The family will wait for DNA test results and police have the teen’s father’s DNA on file. Avonte’s mother is submitting her DNA today.

Police say it may take several days to determine an identification and cause of death."

 

[SwampMama]

Dear God, can someone please tell me the dismemberment is due to water decomp or sharks...
Pleeeeeeeeeaaaaasssse......

disarticulation of the limbs (meaning the come away from the torso) is normal is cases where the body is submerged in water for long periods of time, especially when the water is a moving body of water. The tissue and tendons that held the body together disintegrate and the limbs fall away. Were the disarticulation due to being hit by a boat or at the hands of a human (using a tool like a knife, axe etc) there would be tool markings or cuts to the bone to indicate this). (See link below)

http://books.google.com/books?id=oq...osition disarticulated limbs drowning&f=false

I am saddened to hear of this discovery of a body. It seems that it is likely Avonte. I hate to hear that his mom is so distressed that she cannot yet believe it but I understand how a mother's love can hold hope.

I have a grandson who is autistic and like Avonte, would be unable to survive on his own. How heartbreaking it would be to me if our little man wandered off like this.

Below is a link for an amazing product that combines tennis shoes with a GPS tracking device to help find wandering Alzheimer patients, autistic people or dementia patients. Oh how I wish this product was more widely known and used.

http://www.gpsshoe.com/

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gps-shoes-help-alzheimers-patients-caretakers/

 

[Wondergirl]

David Perecman, the attorney for Avonte’s family, said the sneaker, white socks and tattered denim jeans that were found are similar to those Avonte was last seen in when he went missing.

“It’s a size five and a half Nike Jordan sneakers and a size 16 jeans, which are both what Avonte was wearing on the day he left, which are troubling things to hear,” he told reporters Friday at the scene in College Point.

Investigators are careful to point out the articles of clothing that were discovered are common and can’t yet be definitively linked to Avonte.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/01/17/police-human-remains-found-on-rocks-near-queens-shoreline/

 

[Wondergirl]

New York Police Department diving and canine units were combing the rocky area and choppy waters for additional evidence Friday, and so far had recovered clothing that included sneakers, jeans and other clothing that matched what 14-year-old Avonte Oquendo was wearing when he disappeared on October 4, a law-enforcement official said.

It was unclear how long the remains had been in the water, but a family attorney said investigators told him the body appeared to have been submerged long enough that it was difficult to identify the skin color.

A 14-year-old girl had been walking the shoreline taking photos when she noticed a human arm lying on the rocks, the law-enforcement official said. The girl returned home and told her parents, who called 911.

NYPD Investigators and marine units arrived on the scene and identified the arm as human, cordoned off the area as a crime scene and alerted detectives who began searching for additional clues, the official said.

Police discovered two legs with blue jeans, white socks and sneakers about 15 feet from the arm, the official said, adding that investigators also recovered several other human remains, including what are believed to be rib bones and a pelvic bone.

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/201...uman-remains-belong-to-missing-autistic-teen/

 

[Wondergirl]

The school is near the East River, and from the outset there were concerns that Avonte might have wandered in that direction, even though his family said he did not like the water. In the days after he disappeared, police boats combed the waterway. The East River is a swiftly moving tidal strait, changing the direction it flows several times a day and connecting Upper New York Bay and the Long Island Sound.

People who live in the area said that a 14-year-old girl found an arm washed up on shore Thursday night and posted a picture on Twitter. The girl’s mother saw the picture, walked with her daughter to the waterfront and called the police.

The shore where the remains were found is a marshy area of bushes and rocks, the rusty remains of a sunken ship nearby. For many years, residents said, there was a private dump on the land but today townhouses sit between a yacht club and a garbage transfer station.

“It’s a very quiet neighborhood, but this is eerie,” said Chris Daniel, 65, as she watched police officers search the water. “I think everybody is thinking the same thing, that it’s the boy. Hopefully there will be some kind of closure.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/n...sing-autistic-boy.html?hpw&rref=nyregion&_r=0

 

[HauntsForHope]

OMG Such heartbreaking news...

 

[HauntsForHope]

I'm confused. The location of the remains is pretty far North of where he went missing. Doesn't the river flow South? I wonder if her walked that far and fell in up there...

 

[HauntsForHope]

 

[sophiebelle]

What a nightmare. I don't think there's one thing anybody can say to make this family feel better right now. But they do know many people cared and worried right along with them. I hope that brings some comfort.

 

[Plumeria5]

Poor Avonte! I feared this outcome with the recent river school trip and autistic children's fascination of water without the understanding of the danger associated with it. The dogs went right to a marsh and lost the scent initially. Avonte probably went into the water almost immediately after skipping happily from the school. So sad!

Here is a little info on the East River. What appears to be his remains were found quite a ways north of the school and I was puzzled why he wouldn't have been taken out into the ocean. The only positive out of all of this is that if this is his body then the family won't be frantically searching for Avonte for the rest of their lives.

This link answers my questions about the East River.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Which_direction_does_the_East_River_of_New_York_flow

 

[Cancan]

I can buy that his body went into the water near the school and was carried to College Point. I can buy that the decomposition to the body was caused naturally, by the water, fish, wildlife. What I cannot imagine is how he ended up in the water in the first place. October 4, the water was cold. I just can't picture him wading in or deciding to go for a swim (particularly with his shoes on). Someone had to have put him in there.

Also, NY is reporting that he is wearing a different brand of underpants from when he went missing. All other clothes are apparently the same.

 

[Cancan]

I can buy that his body went into the water near the school and was carried to College Point. I can buy that the decomposition to the body was caused naturally, by the water, fish, wildlife. What I cannot imagine is how he ended up in the water in the first place. October 4, the water was cold. I just can't picture him wading in or deciding to go for a swim (particularly with his shoes on). Someone had to have put him in there.

Also, NY is reporting that he is wearing a different brand of underpants from when he went missing. All other clothes are apparently the same.

 

[matou]

So sorry. I'm sure this is him. Horrible.

 

[hot cawfeee]

is this foul play? Could limbs be severed simply due to decomposition and time outside?

So sorry for you Avonte... and those who loved and cared for you...

I hope you had an adventure and this was a tragic accident...

We can always hope.

I wonder that too AZ-------how much decomp from water and elements---I wouldnt think there are alot of animals along the path he took--this is Queens NY not the woods. Also a not typical place to take a stroll but thats IMO.

I am of two minds on foul play and tragic accident.
I pray it was an accident and he did not suffer at all.

 

[HauntsForHope]

Poor Avonte! I feared this outcome with the recent river school trip and autistic children's fascination of water without the understanding of the danger associated with it. The dogs went right to a marsh and lost the scent initially. Avonte probably went into the water almost immediately after skipping happily from the school. So sad!

Here is a little info on the East River. What appears to be his remains were found quite a ways north of the school and I was puzzled why he wouldn't have been taken out into the ocean. The only positive out of all of this is that if this is his body then the family won't be frantically searching for Avonte for the rest of their lives.

This link answers my questions about the East River.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Which_direction_does_the_East_River_of_New_York_flow

Yes and yes. Thanks for the info on the river. Makes perfect sense now. So glad he wasn't swept out to sea. His mother seemed prepared to look for him for the rest of her life. At least she can bring him home now for a proper burial. His legacy will live on in the changes that will be made because of this tragedy. You know his mother will be very involved....

 

[voominvava]

I can buy that his body went into the water near the school and was carried to College Point. I can buy that the decomposition to the body was caused naturally, by the water, fish, wildlife. What I cannot imagine is how he ended up in the water in the first place. October 4, the water was cold. I just can't picture him wading in or deciding to go for a swim (particularly with his shoes on). Someone had to have put him in there.

Also, NY is reporting that he is wearing a different brand of underpants from when he went missing. All other clothes are apparently the same.

I wonder that too AZ-------how much decomp from water and elements---I wouldnt think there are alot of animals along the path he took--this is Queens NY not the woods. Also a not typical place to take a stroll but thats IMO.

I am of two minds on foul play and tragic accident.
I pray it was an accident and he did not suffer at all.

BBM

I don't think anything Avonte may have done that day would have been able to be called 'typical' .. An autistic mind works in mysterious ways.

Part of me is thankful, if this is Avonte, so that the family can start dealing with the pain, and stop looking and hoping for him to come home.. . I definitely do not want him to be deceased, but I just don't think there was much chance of a positive outcome from this whole preventable tragedy.

This school needs to be held accountable. I'm glad their lawyer had their backs right from the start. How tragic.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

Just want to say that I will be keeping this family in my thoughts this weekend. If good thoughts were like hugs, this family would feel so wrapped up by us here.

We were all pulling for you to come home safely, Avonte. So so sad for you... you too, could have been just about anything you wanted. much love for this little man.

 

[HauntsForHope]

I wonder that too AZ-------how much decomp from water and elements---I wouldnt think there are alot of animals along the path he took--this is Queens NY not the woods. Also a not typical place to take a stroll but thats IMO.

I am of two minds on foul play and tragic accident.
I pray it was an accident and he did not suffer at all.

Sadly, it is very likely an accident. My grandson is autistic and has no fear of the water at all. I've had to rescue him from the pool twice. He just walks right in, seeming to not know he will drown. It doesn't matter how many time I tell him. He's just drawn to it. I don't think Avonte suffered, they seem to react more curious than afraid. Poor Vanessa put her heart and soul into protecting Avonte all these years. No small task with all of the medical and educational issues. Losing him this way is just tragic.

 

[hot cawfeee]

voominvava---sorry-should have typed clearer---I was thinking of the girl who found him.-----would she have walked behind the fencing?????? I am not accusing her of course--just puzzling out loud.

One tiny glimmer of good guys---now some better controls will be in place for special needs kids. Maybe a GPS-type of bracelet?? Or am I being really reactionary????