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

[Snoods]

Snoods, you can hit Control then - until you can read the whole page...with my reading glasses on and maybe hold up my magnifying glass.

:floorlaugh: Thanks for the laugh, Plumy!

And hey, thanks! Control - worked!

 

[Snoods]

I mapped the school to the area showing where the remains were found

Google map link
A - 67th Ave
B - The Riverview School, 1-50 51st Avenue, Queens, NY 11101
C - 125-1-125-99 Powells Cove Blvd College Point, NY 11356

Thank you, Roselvr! This is what I was looking for.

 

[Snoods]

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

Thanks, Plumy. This helps answer my questions too about how his body got so dang far away from the school. Thank goodness at least something of his body was found, as awful as that sounds.

 

[gitana1]

So this sweetheart likely got into the water? And wasn't dismembered by a bad guy or anything? There have been a few accidental drownings of kids with autism.
This is so horribly sad.

 

[Kimster]

When my autistic son was very young, he walked right into a pond like it didn't even exist. Thankfully, I was running behind him and scooped him up right away before he got away from me! He was FAST!

My heart goes out to this family!

 

[Snoods]

So this sweetheart likely got into the water? And wasn't dismembered by a bad guy or anything? There have been a few accidental drownings of kids with autism.
This is so horribly sad.

That's how it appears, gitana1. It seems likely that he almost immediately went into the water and drowned. There's been quite an extensive and long-term search done and never even one confirmed sighting of him.

 

[Plumeria5]

It is so sad to think that more than likely the searchers combed the area up and down the river where his body was all along. Warning graphic question: Does a body sink initially?

 

[gitana1]

Poor baby. Question. He was non verbal so didn't he have a one on one aide at school? It's so scary to think we entrust our most previous, vulnerable children to others at school and something like this can happen.

 

[Mahouston69]

Water is a huge draw for sensory seeking and it helps autistic children and adults relieve heightened nerves. Kinda hard to explain. My non verbal autistic son, on a trip to the lake when he was 10, also just walked in...shoes and all. Didn't jump, or swim, just walked in and under very cold water in September. A woman at a nearby camp site saw him and jumped in clothes and all to save him. He wasn't shaken and kept trying to go back and pulling us in, all weekend. He now swims for Special Olympics. As to the different underwear. My guess is he may have had some bathroom accident at school (happens) and they gave him a spare. Maybe part of the reason he flipped and ran out. Even small things like that, can cause a meltdown or elopement. I fear he did go straight to the water and this is him.

 

[Snoods]

Poor baby. Question. He was non verbal so didn't he have a one on one aide at school? It's so scary to think we entrust our most previous, vulnerable children to others at school and something like this can happen.

Yes, I believe Avonte was supposed to have one-on-one school aide supervision. A school employee even saw him leaving the building. He also had one previous escape from school, although that time he was found quickly. It is frightening, isn't it?

 

[Snoods]

It is so sad to think that more than likely the searchers combed the area all along where his body all along. Warning graphic question: Does a body sink initially?

Warning, graphic answer:

It's always been my understanding that a body will sink at first and then as it decomposes gasses cause it to rise. Please anyone correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[Snoods]

Water is a huge draw for sensory seeking and it helps autistic children and adults relieve heightened nerves. Kinda hard to explain. My non verbal autistic son, on a trip to the lake when he was 10, also just walked in...shoes and all. Didn't jump, or swim, just walked in and under very cold water in September. A woman at a nearby camp site saw him and jumped in clothes and all to save him. He wasn't shaken and kept trying to go back and pulling us in, all weekend. He now swims for Special Olympics. As to the different underwear. My guess is he may have had some bathroom accident at school (happens) and they gave him a spare. Maybe part of the reason he flipped and ran out. Even small things like that, can cause a meltdown or elopement. I fear he did go straight to the water and this is him.

Oh my gosh, how frightening! I'll bet the woman that jumped in and saved him is your hero :loveyou:.

And you must be such a proud mama that he is now swimming for the Special Olympics, that's awesome!!!

I agree, the odds of a body turning up wearing the same size jeans and same exact size Jordan sneakers are astronomical. I can understand the mother's denial and hope until the end, though.

 

[Floridagirl87]

http://www.newsday.com/news/new-yor...brush-footprint-may-help-id-remains-1.6819068

A police investigator told Newsday that the dismembered state of the remains is not fully consistent with natural decomposition, indicating the deceased could be a victim of foul play.

I pray they're wrong!

Sent from my Event using Tapatalk

 

[Mahouston69]

Oh my gosh, how frightening! I'll bet the woman that jumped in and saved him is your hero :loveyou:.

And you must be such a proud mama that he is now swimming for the Special Olympics, that's awesome!!!

I agree, the odds of a body turning up wearing the same size jeans and same exact size Jordan sneakers are astronomical. I can understand the mother's denial and hope until the end, though.

She is! One of our best friends to this day (he is 21) and I am very very proud.

 

[Snoods]

http://www.newsday.com/news/new-yor...brush-footprint-may-help-id-remains-1.6819068

A police investigator told Newsday that the dismembered state of the remains is not fully consistent with natural decomposition, indicating the deceased could be a victim of foul play.

I pray they're wrong!

Sent from my Event using Tapatalk

I must admit, this is shocking to me! I fully expected LE to say he was a drowning victim. Wow, I'll be waiting for the autopsy results with my heart in my throat now. Some parts of that article were heartbreaking to read.

 

[Wondergirl]

http://www.newsday.com/news/new-yor...brush-footprint-may-help-id-remains-1.6819068

A police investigator told Newsday that the dismembered state of the remains is not fully consistent with natural decomposition, indicating the deceased could be a victim of foul play.

I pray they're wrong!

Sent from my Event using Tapatalk

I suspected this, but, was hoping otherwise.

Is it possible the world is THAT evil? OMG.

 

[Wondergirl]

I wonder if there is suspicion on the female who took the picture

PIX11 News has learned from law enforcement sources that a woman in her late teens, Natasha Shapiro, who lives three blocks from where the remains were found, discovered them while she was out walking Thursday.

Law enforcement sources also told PIX11 News that Shapiro took a photo of the remains and posted it on social media before calling police. She confirmed to reporters outside of her home Friday afternoon that she had called police, but denied that she had posted photos of what she’d seen. Friday night, a police cruiser was posted outside of her home, and crime scene tape had been strung around it.

http://pix11.com/2014/01/17/could-i...ation-of-found-human-remains-2/#axzz2qklcFaVF

 

[stillwatersc]

http://www.newsday.com/news/new-yor...brush-footprint-may-help-id-remains-1.6819068

A police investigator told Newsday that the dismembered state of the remains is not fully consistent with natural decomposition, indicating the deceased could be a victim of foul play.

I pray they're wrong!

Sent from my Event using Tapatalk

Could he have been hit by a boat prop after the person was deceased? Unfortunately I know for a fact that a boat prop can dismember a person.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

http://www.newsday.com/news/new-yor...brush-footprint-may-help-id-remains-1.6819068

A police investigator told Newsday that the dismembered state of the remains is not fully consistent with natural decomposition, indicating the deceased could be a victim of foul play.

I pray they're wrong!

Sent from my Event using Tapatalk

This is so sad. I was thinking there might be more to this than just drowning too because of the way he was found.

 

[HauntsForHope]

This is so sad. I was thinking there might be more to this than just drowning too because of the way he was found.

It's possible his body was hit by a boat. That is a very busy waterway. Foul play is very unlikely.