Six Long Island Cold Case Victims to Be Identified

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney and Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina are expected to announce the identifications at 11 a.m. on November 12. Officials say genetic genealogy helped resolve the cases, which span five decades. The oldest dates to 1976.

The victims’ cases are associated with five locations: Deer Park, Riverhead, Montauk, Great River, and the Fire Island Inlet. Officials have not publicly specified which individual cases correspond to each location ahead of the announcement.

“Montauk Mary” was found dead in 1978 at East Overlook Park, near Montauk Highway. She had been shot four times, and investigators estimated she was in her 60s, about five feet tall and weighed roughly 200 pounds. A forensic sketch of her possible appearance was released in 2025.

The identification work was done by Suffolk County’s Cold Case Task Force. Genetic genealogy has also been used in other investigations, including the identification of a Fire Island Jane Doe in 2023 and cases linked to the Gilgo Beach killings.

The news conference is expected to disclose the six victims’ names and provide further details about the investigations.