It was the coldest of cases. Twenty-two years ago, the body of a young girl wasdiscovered inside a cooler stowed in an embankment along Manhattans HenryHudson Parkway. New York City Police didnt know her name or age. No missingperson report was ever filed. Detectives called her Baby Hope.
After an investigation lasting more than two decades, police announced Saturday that they had a confession in Baby Hopes killing and had made an arrest: her cousin, 52-year-oldConrado Juarez.
Police also made public her name: Anjelica Castillo, 4.
Juarez was arraigned Saturday night and charged with second-degree murder for Anjelica's death, according to the criminal complaint.
"Public outreach, forensic investigation and old-fashioned pavement pounding leddetectives to Juarez," said New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly,praising the work of investigators who had labored almost obsessively to closethe case.
The investigation thawed this summer when an anonymous tipster led police toAnjelica's sister, Kelly said. Police identified a woman believed to beAnjelica's mother and a DNA match was confirmed using samples taken in 2011,when the body was last exhumed.
But Anjelica wasnt living with her mother at the time of her death she wasliving in a Queens apartment with family on her fathers side.
Juarez told police he came to his sister's apartment and spotted Anjelica in the hallway, Kellysaid. After sexually assaulting her, Juarez told police he smothered her.Seeing her motionless, Juarez called his sister into the room, andthe pair hatched a plan to dump her body, investigators said.
He told police that Juarezs sister offered the cooler the same cooler in which Anjelica's body was discovered and they traveled by cab to the wooded area inManhattan where her body was later discovered. Juarezs sister is now deceased,Kelly said.
Closing the chapter on a lengthy investigation, New York Assistant Police Chief Joseph Reznick who regularly visited Anjelica's cemetery plot-- said he was relieved.
When we visit the plot now out at St. Raymonds, we can attach a name to this littlegirl, Reznick said.
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matt.hamilton@latimes.com
Source: http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-baby-hope-slaying-suspect-arrested-20131012,0,7610010.story
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