In 1991, an unidentified body was found in a grassy area along the Cross Island Expressway near Cambria Heights.
According to The Queens District Attorney’s Office, the victim’s identity baffled authorities for years.
Thanks to groundbreaking DNA testing, we now know the victim was Judy Rodriguez.
She was reported missing shortly after celebrating her daughter's first birthday.
This breakthrough brings a measure of closure to her family while raising lingering questions about the circumstances of her disappearance
Who Was Judy Rodriguez, and What Happened to Her?
Judy Rodriguez was a 30-year-old mother of three living in Queens, New York.
She was last seen on January 23, 1991, during her daughter’s first birthday party.
Shortly after, she was reported missing, marking the start of a missing person case that would haunt her family for decades.
Months later, on August 25, 1991, a passerby discovered the body of a woman in a grassy area near the Cross Island and Southern State Parkways.
Her ankles were bound, and a wooden board partially concealed her body, as reported by The New York Post
The victim had been brutally murdered, but the severe decomposition of her remains made identification impossible at the time.
According to court records, four young men were implicated in her death.
They kidnapped Judy sometime in mid-1991, drove her to a secluded area, and killed her with a metal flashlight.
They returned weeks later to cover her body but failed to obscure their heinous crime.
Although all four men were convicted in 1992 and 1993, Judy’s identity remained a mystery for decades, leaving her family in anguish.
As Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz stated, “Justice was served, but the family went 33 long years without any answers about their loved one.”
How Was Judy Rodriguez Identified After 33 Years?
In November 2023, the Queens DA’s Cold Case Unit partnered with the NYPD and a private lab to reexamine the unidentified victim’s remains.
Using advanced DNA testing, DNA Labs International created a genealogical profile.
Detective Joseph Rodriguez of the NYPD’s Investigative Genealogy Squad then used it to build a family tree.
The breakthrough came when Judy’s sister, Anna Salvadore, and her daughter, Stephanie Rodriguez, provided DNA samples for comparison.
In April 2024, the results confirmed a 100% match, providing the long-awaited answer to a decades-old question.
Stephanie described the moment as deeply emotional: “It came back a 100% match on the anniversary of my mom’s passing. I felt like it was my mom giving us answers.”
The family is now planning a proper burial near Judy’s parents, bringing some semblance of peace after years of uncertainty.
Aftermath
Despite the convictions of her killers, the circumstances leading to her abduction and murder remain murky.
What triggered the violent attack?
Did Judy know her assailants?
These unanswered questions still haunt her loved ones.
Rep. Grace Meng, who helped secure a $500,000 grant for the Queens DA’s Cold Case Unit, praised the team’s dedication.
“This case underscores the importance of advanced crime scene investigations and the pursuit of justice, no matter how much time has passed.”
Currently, the Cold Case Unit is working on 47 additional cases involving unidentified victims, emphasizing that it’s never too late to seek answers.
District Attorney Melinda Katz remarked, “This case exemplifies our commitment to identifying victims and solving the borough’s oldest, most challenging homicides.”
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