4 Puzzling Unsolved Cases that Haunts New York

Posted by Patricia Clark on September 16th, 2018

Beyond the bright lights and the busy streets, the New York State has also been and still is a home to some of the most puzzling and mysterious unsolved cases that happened in the U.S., some of which have been here for decades. And while recent crime trends show a decrease in New York homicides, criminologists and the NYPD have no shortage of cold cases to crack. While advances in modern technology have greatly aided in the arrest of guilty perpetrators, the following New York cold cases remained unsolved. Here are 4 puzzling unsolved cases that still haunt New York.

1. Lorraine Snell

On the 25^th of September 1980, 19-year-old Lorraine Snell was in the middle of planning her engagement party and went to the Midwood Terrace Restaurant, where the party was to be held. As she left, a bartender saw her leaving with James Burrus, the estranged husband of her cousin Barbara. It was raining and Burrus was holding an umbrella for Snell. This was the last time Snell was seen alive.

She was later found at the backseat of a station wagon, strangled with a cable around her neck. The car was suspiciously parked behind a supermarket where James Burrus previously worked. Detectives were unable to conclusively link Burrus to the murder, but he did serve time in jail for robbing a cab driver that same night.

Another suspicious person was district attorney investigator Wayne Tennent, who told the family he was assigned to the case and stayed in contact years after everyone else had given up, only for the family to later learn that he was not in charge of the case and a folder had gone mysteriously missing from Snell’s cold case file.

2. Sarah Fox

Sarah Fox, a 21-year-old Julliard student went on a jog on May 18, 2004, at the Inwood Hill Park. Sad to say she never came back and was never seen alive again. Her body was found a week later in a remote area of the upper Manhattan, nude and badly decomposed that it was impossible to tell whether she’d been sexually assaulted. Her body had been positioned and was surrounded by yellow tulip petals and branches wherein police suspected that it was arranged in a ritualistic manner. Moreover. a botanist confirmed the plant material had originated from elsewhere in the park, suggesting the murderer was very familiar with the terrain.

Cops identified a suspect: 47-year-old Dimitry Sheinman, who said he was a psychic who could crack the case, and knew details never made public. But they found no evidence linking him to the murder.

3. Patrick Kennedy Alford Jr.

7-year-old Patrick Kennedy Alford Jr. Was last seen on January 22, 2010at his foster home in Vandalia Avenue building in Brooklyn. The boy was reportedly helping his foster mother, Librada Moran, to take out the trash when Moran’s cell phone rang. She left Alford Jr. downstairs to take the phone and found that the boy was missing the moment she returned. Fully convinced that his biological mother had abducted him, the authorities arrested Jennifer Rodriguez, his biological mother. She was previously arrested for shoplifting and was found to be dependent on drugs which is why authorities had to take her son’s custody from her. Rodriguez was then released her after she had spent time in a prison cell and passed a polygraph test.

While in foster care, Alford Jr. Displayed signs of emotional instability and was ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation and treatment. New York investigators believe that Alford Jr. was still alive, but they he was legally pronounced dead because he had been missing for over three years.

4. Wu Quin-Rong

Kidnapped less than a hundred yards from her school on May 19, 1997, was an 11-year-old Chinese girl Wu Quin-Rong. She was walking on her usual route to school at Henry Street when she disappeared. Two weeks later, her body was found in the East River and according to medical examiners, the little girl’s cause of death was manual strangulation.

One witness claimed to see a bearded man subdue a wailing Asian girl on a subway train, but New York City police have never had any substantial leads.

Be Safe From Criminals at NY

Crime picks no location. It can happen anytime, anywhere. If you want to make sure you aren’t dealing with a potential criminal, do a quick criminal background check. If you want to use a fast, easy, and accurate online background checking tool just click here. Always remember that safety is a priority.