UPDATED May 23, 1 p.m.
Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a 16-year-old male whose decomposed body was found inside of Alley Pond Park on Sunday afternoon after an autopsy revealed that he had been stabbed 28 times, police reported.
Police sources identified the victim as Julio Vasquez, 16, of 166th Street in St. Albans. Sources familiar with the investigation said that Vasquez was a reputed street gang member who had a prior arrest record.
A birdwatcher inside of the park made the gruesome discovery at 1:55 p.m. on May 21 in a heavily wooded area of the park off the intersection of 76th Avenue and Cloverdale Boulevard in the Oakland Gardens section of Bayside, according to the New York Daily News.
Officers from the 111th Precinct responded to the scene along with EMS units. Vasquez’s body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which declared his death a homicide after an autopsy revealed that Vasquez had sustained 28 stab wounds about his body.
Geoffrey Croft of NYC Parks Advocates reported that Vasquez may have been dead in the park for up to a week.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
