SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Six people whose bodies were discovered across Suffolk County between 1976 and 1999 have been publicly identified, including three homicide victims whose names remained unknown for nearly five decades, authorities announced Thursday, November 12, 2026.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney and Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina announced the developments following investigations by the county’s Cold Case Task Force. The effort combined forensic DNA sequencing, investigative genetic genealogy, fingerprint analysis and cooperation with international law enforcement agencies.
Five of the individuals were identified through investigative work, while a sixth, previously known as “Riverhead Jane Doe,” had already been identified by authorities but had never been publicly named. Three deaths were ruled homicides, and investigators continue seeking information about the circumstances surrounding the cases.
Three Homicide Victims Identified
Ramon Perez y Rivera – Deer Park, 1976
On November 27, 1976, three rabbit hunters discovered the severely burned body of a man in Deer Park. An autopsy determined that he had died from a gunshot wound to his lower right abdomen.
With no identification available, investigators referred to him as “Raymond Doe,” a name taken from a tattoo on his left upper arm.
Nearly 50 years later, authorities identified the man as Ramon Perez y Rivera, a native of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, born in October 1935. He was approximately 41 when he died.
Investigators located a 1950 United States Census record listing him as “Raymond” while he was living in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Authorities described the census entry as his last documented proof of life.
Sofia Margherita Marrone – Montauk, 1978
For 48 years, the woman found shot to death near East Overlook Park in Montauk was known as “Montauk Mary.”
Her body was discovered on March 22, 1978, by a United States airman taking his lunch break near Montauk Highway. The 73-year-old woman had suffered four gunshot wounds, and investigators believed she had died only hours before being discovered.
Authorities have now identified her as Sofia Margherita Marrone, born January 18, 1905, of Pleasantville, New Jersey.
Investigators established that Marrone was last seen on March 16, 1978, leaving Shore Memorial Hospital in Somers Point, New Jersey, six days before her body was discovered in Montauk.
Additional reporting by Daily Voice indicates that investigators have examined a possible connection to convicted New Jersey serial killer Richard Biegenwald. Authorities have not established a forensic connection, and his involvement remains unconfirmed.
Antoinette Rugg – Heckscher State Park, 1978
On April 2, 1978, a man walking his dog along the beach at Heckscher State Park discovered human remains after the animal began digging in loose sand.
Investigators recovered skeletal remains and found a belt tightly bound around the victim’s neck. The medical examiner determined that she had died from strangulation.
Previously known as “Heckscher Jane Doe,” the victim has now been identified as Antoinette Rugg, born August 2, 1951.
Rugg was 26 years old when she died and was the mother of a 10-year-old son.
Three Additional Individuals Publicly Identified
Kyong-Ok Kim – Riverhead, 1990
On March 12, 1990, a Riverhead Town employee operating a street sweeper noticed what appeared to be a mannequin near a wooded area off Osborne Avenue, south of Horton Road.
Upon closer examination, the employee discovered the body of a woman. She became known publicly as “Riverhead Jane Doe.”
Although investigators had previously established her identity, authorities publicly released her name for the first time on November 12, 2026: Kyong-Ok Kim, a native of South Korea born November 30, 1957.
Kim married and moved to the United States in 1978, initially settling in Michigan, where she gave birth to a son. Around 1985, she became estranged from her family and relocated to New York. She lived in Woodside, Queens, and worked for a period at a grocery store in Manhattan.
Kim was 32 years old when her body was discovered. Her cause of death remains under investigation.
Omelios Steward – Fire Island, 1990
On November 4, 1990, the United States Coast Guard recovered the body of an unidentified man floating in the Atlantic Ocean approximately nine miles south of Fire Island.
Investigators believed the man had drowned, but his identity remained unknown for nearly 36 years.
Advancements in fingerprint analysis eventually established his identity as Omelios Steward, born June 23, 1962. He was 28 years old when he died.
Andreas Kupke – Montauk, 1999
On December 24, 1999, a partially decomposed body was discovered along the high-tide mark east of Ditch Plains in Montauk.
The unidentified man remained known as “John Doe” for nearly 27 years before investigators established that he was Andreas Kupke, a 27-year-old German citizen born September 23, 1972.
Kupke arrived at Newark International Airport on November 24, 1999, for a visit scheduled to conclude December 4. He never boarded his return flight, and his parents subsequently reported him missing to German authorities.
His identification resulted from cooperation involving Interpol, German authorities, the New Jersey State Police, the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory and East Hampton Town Police.
Authorities said Kupke’s parents were notified of the circumstances surrounding their son’s death nearly 27 years after he disappeared. His cause of death was not specified in the district attorney’s announcement.
Advances in Forensic Identification
The three homicide victims were identified through Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG), techniques that allow investigators to analyze genetic evidence and develop potential family relationships when conventional identification methods prove unsuccessful.
The Cold Case Task Force is a partnership between the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Cold Case Unit and Suffolk County Police Department. Investigators also received assistance from the county’s Medical Examiner’s Office and Crime Laboratory, Astrea Forensics, Bode Technology, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The work received support from the federal Missing and Unidentified Human Remains grant program. Tierney also testified before New York State forensic science officials on October 9, 2026, advocating expanded use of next-generation sequencing in public laboratories.
According to News 12, no criminal charges had been filed in connection with the six cases as of the November 12 announcement.
Key Facts & Details
| Announcement | November 12, 2026 |
| Investigating agencies | Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and Suffolk County Police Department |
| Individuals publicly named | Six |
| Confirmed homicide victims | Three |
| Years of original discoveries | 1976–1999 |
| Discovery locations | Deer Park, Montauk, Heckscher State Park, Riverhead and waters south of Fire Island |
| Identification methods | DNA sequencing, investigative genetic genealogy, fingerprint analysis and international cooperation |
| Suffolk Crime Stoppers | 1-800-220-TIPS (8477) |
| Official information | Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office ↗ |
| Submit information | Suffolk Crime Stoppers ↗ |
Investigators Seek Additional Information
The investigations remain open, and authorities are asking anyone who knew the six individuals or has information about the circumstances of their deaths to contact Suffolk Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. Translation services are available. While the identification of these individuals resolves decades of uncertainty about their names, investigators continue working to establish what happened to them and, in the three homicide cases, who was responsible.
