A woman who was found dead with her ankles tied in 1991 at the intersection of two highways in Queens has finally been identified more than 30 years later, authorities announced Monday.
Judy Rodriguez, a 30-year-old New York woman who was reported missing earlier that year, was identified as the victim using advanced DNA technology, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Rodriguez was last seen alive on Jan. 23, 1991, at her youngest daughter’s first birthday party. Family members reported her missing after failing to locate her shortly afterward.
On Aug. 25, 1991, cops responded to a call about a dead woman with her legs bound in a grassy area near the interchange of the Cross Island Parkway and Southern State Parkway in Cambria Heights. Though investigators could not identify Rodriguez’s body at the time, they did identify four young men suspected of killing her.
The killers approached Rodriguez some time between July 15 and Aug. 15, put her in their car and drove her to the interchange, according to investigators. At the scene, they shoved her out of the car and one man struck her in the head with a flashlight, killing her.
The suspects returned to the scene two weeks after Rodriguez’s death and attempted to cover up her body, police said. The four suspects, ages 18-20, were not publicly identified in Katz’s press release. All four were convicted and have since completed their prison sentences in the case.
“This case is a prime example of the determination of my Cold Case Unit in identifying victims and solving the borough’s oldest, most challenging homicides,” Katz said.
