Who Killed The Woman In The Woods? Staten Island Teens Find Burnt Body Behind School
NYPD Detectives and medical examiners are trying to shed light on the mysterious death of 30-year-old Yelena Rabkina whose burnt body was discovered on Staten Island.
Main Photo: NYPD investigators responding to the scene on Staten Island where the body of Yelena Rabkina was found [CBS New York / YouTube (screenshot)]
Detectives are scouring a wooded area in Staten Island for clues after two teenagers found the burnt body of a woman on Sunday afternoon.
Monday police said that the remains were identified as 30-year-old Yelena Rabkina.
A 13-year-old boy and his friend found the body behind a school in the Long Pond Park area and called 911, police said. She was partially naked and had burn marks on her back and arms, according to a spokesperson for the NYPD.Police sources told the New York Post that Rabkina had a history of mental illness.
Rabkina, who lived on Staten Island about 15 miles away from where her body was discovered, was reported missing earlier this month, and was said to have last been seen alive around 8:00 a.m. on November 18. According to the Staten Island Advance, an accelerant was found near the body.
Her grandfather told the TV station in Russian, "What can I say? She was a good girl. Good, normal."
On Monday, detectives wearing white hazmat suits could be seen searching the woods where the body was found. As the medical examiner works to determine her cause of death, the investigation continues.
Read more: NBC 4 New York
