By Patrick Donachie
Friends and community members mourned a Rochdale Village woman who was found murdered early Monday morning after she went missing several days earlier.
Dayo Corley, 43, was last seen Saturday at about 2 a.m., according to the NYPD. Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said she was at a hairdressing parlor and was not seen after leaving there. Police said she was driving a black Chevy Equinox with Florida license plates.
NYPD officers found her body inside the car Monday at 12:06 a.m., sitting in the driver’s seat, near the intersection of 122nd Avenue and Lakeview Lane. Boyce said she was found with two small holes in the back of her skull, and the chief medical examiner concluded her death was a homicide.
Corley was a mother of two, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help family members with expenses that may stem from her death.
“She could light up a room with her laughter and had eyes that smiled and danced,” the page read. “Dayo was a churchgoing woman who worked hard and always put her children first. Unfortunately, she was tragically taken away from us and now her children are left without their mother.”
The GoFundMe page had raised more than $2,000 in 24 hours as of press time. City Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica) said he was “horrified” in a tweet about the incident, saying the community needed to express its outrage when such violent acts occurred.
Corley was a parishioner at St. John’s Episcopal Church, located at 137-67 Belknap St. in Springfield Gardens. The church’s site posted an array of photos of Corley along with a statement of mourning and an expression of sympathy for her family.
“Dayo Corley was a loving member of our St. John’s family who we loved wholeheartedly and who loved us back no less,” the post read. “We will always love you and we will miss you always.”
The Daily News reported that police were seeking to question Corley’s ex-boyfriend. Police also encouraged anyone with information about the incident to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS or to submit tips online at www.nypdc
Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdona
