Less than a week after body parts were found in the East River in Queens, DNA testing has confirmed on Tuesday that the remains found are indeed of missing teenager Avonte Oquendo (pictured). Since last October, the Oquendo family has been desperately searching for the boy, holding out hope that he might still be alive even after last week’s grim discovery.
Oquendo was last seen walking out of his Long Island City school on October 4th, which is situated not far from where the remains were found. For several weeks, authorities and the Oquendo family searched far and wide for the 14-year-old. Until last week’s breaking news, there wasn’t much traction made in the case, although speculation about the body parts began to swirl about.
A source shared the DNA testing results with a reporter from NBC News, and the NYPD confirmed the findings earlier today.
From NBC News:
Body parts found along the shore of the East River in Queens have been matched by DNA to Avonte Oquendo, the teen who went missing more than three months ago, the NYPD confirmed Tuesday.
The body parts were found Thursday night in College Point, just southwest of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, about 9 miles by waterway from where Avonte was last seen on Oct. 4th.
The family’s attorney stated that Oquendo was last seen in a park near the water on a surveillance video, but said it was unlikely he entered the water because of fear. Although foul play has not been introduced as yet, Oquendo was discovered wearing a different brand and size of underwear than he was originally wearing, according to reports.
To watch the news story, click here.
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