Ms. Murillo
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Suffolk Life January 8, 1989
Jane Doe Hunts Job Before Hanging Herself
Following a trail left by the young woman whose body was found hanging in a Montauk motel nearly two weeks ago, East Hampton Town Police continue to search for anyone who can help identify her and perhaps explain her decision to take her own life. According to the Suffolk medical examiner's office, an exact cause of death is pending further tests. Dr. Stuart Dawson of the medical examiner's office estimates the woman died on January 3 or 4. Her body was discovered on January 5 by Steven Houseknecht, an owner of the East Deck Motel. Preliminary information available from an autopsy performed last Friday, according to East Hampton Detective Lieutenant Todd Sarris, indicates "her death was consistent with hanging" and a dental examination places her age "between 22 and 27 years old." Police are continuing to research a number of leads from federal and state computer files on missing persons, says Sarris, but so far noone has come forward who can shed some light on why the victim suddenly appeared in Montauk, an isolated and quiet place during the winter months.
NO REFUGE
Without a job and , apparently, a place to live, the five-foot-three brunette reportedly stopped at two vacation resorts and a church in Montauk on New Year's Eve, five days before her body was found. Penny Kabisch, a receptionist at Rough Riders Landing, is the first person to remember seeing the young woman in Montauk some time before noon on December 31. "She came here for a job," Kabisch recalls. "I told her we only hired chambermaids and that we wouldn't be open until March. She seemed disappointed and upset." Rough Riders Landing, a resort condominium complex, is located adjacent to the Montauk railroad station, the terminus of the South Shore line. "I know I heard the train whistle go off right before she came into the office," says Kabisch. "She looked like a person who was running away from something or scared of something. She had very nervous hands. I remember how nervous her hands were, and her eyes never stayed still. She kept looking around, like she didn't want anyone to see her."
NOONE REMEMBERS
Suffolk Life confirmed that a train originating at Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan arrived in Montauk at approximately 11:21 a.m. that day. Although East Hampton Town Police reported interviewing the crews of all three trains arriving in Montauk that day, noone remembers seeing anyone fitting the victim's description. The unidentified woman, recalls Kabisch, was wearing a dark-colored down jacket, a blue wool cap, and was carrying a dark blue nylon tote bag. "Her bag was large enough for maybe one day's worth of clothes, but not more than that. The way she was dressed, she looked like she made a hasty grab and ran." Police confirm the 102-pound woman was wearing a blue and white checked shirt with birds printed on it, blue slacks and blue Adidas sneakers when her body was found in the basement of the East Deck Motel, but have noted that her jacket and tote bag were missing. "There is some evidence that she may have tried to drown herself in the ocean," according to a police spokesperson, "but maybe it was too cold." A police search of nearby beaches failed to turn up the missing belongings.
HUDDLED ON THE GROUND
Kabisch doesn't remember seeing the victim after she left the office at Rough Riders Landing, but Willie Martinez, another employee at the waterfront resort, spotted her sitting huddled on the ground near a deserted marina area at about 2pm. Martinez says he "felt sorry for her. I tried to ask her about where she came from, but all she said was, "I want a job," Martinez says. "she looked very depressed, like upset." Martinez then informed his supervisor the woman was sitting down by the water and was directed to take her off the property. "I want to help you. I will give you a ride somewhere," Martinez claims he told her. "Don't touch me," she replied. "I only want to help you, " repeated Martinez, who says the girl then informed him she wanted to "go to the church." He drove her to St.Therese's Catholic Church near downtown Montauk, but did not see whether she entered the church.
SAT SILENTLY
During the ride downtown, Martinez adds, the woman sat in the back of the van and "didn't say one word." The following morning, Martinez, who resides at Rough Riders, spotted the woman from the window in his apartment "walking around the building." At 9:30 am, she stopped Martinez as he drove past the train station and requested a ride to Gurney's Inn, another waterfront resort located west of downtown Montauk. Martinez recalls seeing the young woman go into the main entrance at Gurney's Inn and spotted her again, this time about one-half mile east on Old Montauk Highway, walking back toward the downtown area, soon after he had dropped her off. Police have so far been unable to locate anyone who recalls seeing the woman after the morning of January 1. It was later discovered that she had the telephone number of Gurney's Inn written on her hand in ink. A caller to Gurney's that day did identify herself by name and inquired about job openings, according to Sarris, but a check of state Department Motor Vehicle records indicates the youngest woman listed with the same name given by the caller is significantly older than the victim. "We're really not sure at this point if there is any connection between that call and this woman," says Sarris. Steven Houseknecht, owner of the East Deck Motel on DeForest Road in Montauk, says he called police just after 12:15pm on Thursday, January 5, upon discovering the woman's body hanging in the storage cellar of his motel. Extremely reluctant to discuss the matter, Houseknecht would only say that he does not normally keep the door to his cellar locked. Houseknecht also reports that he did not recall ever seeing the woman before.
Following a trail left by the young woman whose body was found hanging in a Montauk motel nearly two weeks ago, East Hampton Town Police continue to search for anyone who can help identify her and perhaps explain her decision to take her own life. According to the Suffolk medical examiner's office, an exact cause of death is pending further tests. Dr. Stuart Dawson of the medical examiner's office estimates the woman died on January 3 or 4. Her body was discovered on January 5 by Steven Houseknecht, an owner of the East Deck Motel. Preliminary information available from an autopsy performed last Friday, according to East Hampton Detective Lieutenant Todd Sarris, indicates "her death was consistent with hanging" and a dental examination places her age "between 22 and 27 years old." Police are continuing to research a number of leads from federal and state computer files on missing persons, says Sarris, but so far noone has come forward who can shed some light on why the victim suddenly appeared in Montauk, an isolated and quiet place during the winter months.
NO REFUGE
Without a job and , apparently, a place to live, the five-foot-three brunette reportedly stopped at two vacation resorts and a church in Montauk on New Year's Eve, five days before her body was found. Penny Kabisch, a receptionist at Rough Riders Landing, is the first person to remember seeing the young woman in Montauk some time before noon on December 31. "She came here for a job," Kabisch recalls. "I told her we only hired chambermaids and that we wouldn't be open until March. She seemed disappointed and upset." Rough Riders Landing, a resort condominium complex, is located adjacent to the Montauk railroad station, the terminus of the South Shore line. "I know I heard the train whistle go off right before she came into the office," says Kabisch. "She looked like a person who was running away from something or scared of something. She had very nervous hands. I remember how nervous her hands were, and her eyes never stayed still. She kept looking around, like she didn't want anyone to see her."
NOONE REMEMBERS
Suffolk Life confirmed that a train originating at Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan arrived in Montauk at approximately 11:21 a.m. that day. Although East Hampton Town Police reported interviewing the crews of all three trains arriving in Montauk that day, noone remembers seeing anyone fitting the victim's description. The unidentified woman, recalls Kabisch, was wearing a dark-colored down jacket, a blue wool cap, and was carrying a dark blue nylon tote bag. "Her bag was large enough for maybe one day's worth of clothes, but not more than that. The way she was dressed, she looked like she made a hasty grab and ran." Police confirm the 102-pound woman was wearing a blue and white checked shirt with birds printed on it, blue slacks and blue Adidas sneakers when her body was found in the basement of the East Deck Motel, but have noted that her jacket and tote bag were missing. "There is some evidence that she may have tried to drown herself in the ocean," according to a police spokesperson, "but maybe it was too cold." A police search of nearby beaches failed to turn up the missing belongings.
HUDDLED ON THE GROUND
Kabisch doesn't remember seeing the victim after she left the office at Rough Riders Landing, but Willie Martinez, another employee at the waterfront resort, spotted her sitting huddled on the ground near a deserted marina area at about 2pm. Martinez says he "felt sorry for her. I tried to ask her about where she came from, but all she said was, "I want a job," Martinez says. "she looked very depressed, like upset." Martinez then informed his supervisor the woman was sitting down by the water and was directed to take her off the property. "I want to help you. I will give you a ride somewhere," Martinez claims he told her. "Don't touch me," she replied. "I only want to help you, " repeated Martinez, who says the girl then informed him she wanted to "go to the church." He drove her to St.Therese's Catholic Church near downtown Montauk, but did not see whether she entered the church.
SAT SILENTLY
During the ride downtown, Martinez adds, the woman sat in the back of the van and "didn't say one word." The following morning, Martinez, who resides at Rough Riders, spotted the woman from the window in his apartment "walking around the building." At 9:30 am, she stopped Martinez as he drove past the train station and requested a ride to Gurney's Inn, another waterfront resort located west of downtown Montauk. Martinez recalls seeing the young woman go into the main entrance at Gurney's Inn and spotted her again, this time about one-half mile east on Old Montauk Highway, walking back toward the downtown area, soon after he had dropped her off. Police have so far been unable to locate anyone who recalls seeing the woman after the morning of January 1. It was later discovered that she had the telephone number of Gurney's Inn written on her hand in ink. A caller to Gurney's that day did identify herself by name and inquired about job openings, according to Sarris, but a check of state Department Motor Vehicle records indicates the youngest woman listed with the same name given by the caller is significantly older than the victim. "We're really not sure at this point if there is any connection between that call and this woman," says Sarris. Steven Houseknecht, owner of the East Deck Motel on DeForest Road in Montauk, says he called police just after 12:15pm on Thursday, January 5, upon discovering the woman's body hanging in the storage cellar of his motel. Extremely reluctant to discuss the matter, Houseknecht would only say that he does not normally keep the door to his cellar locked. Houseknecht also reports that he did not recall ever seeing the woman before.
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