NEW YORK — Investigators have released new information regarding a brutally violent cold case on Staten Island that dates back more than 30 years.
Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon said at a news conference Tuesday that the victim, now identified as Christine Belusko, was struck more than a dozen times with a hammer and then set on fire before she was released. found dead in 1991.
The body was found in a vacant lot in the area of Ocean Breeze a day after his death, according to investigators. Belusko was living in Morris County, New Jersey, at the time of his death.
The victim’s main identifying feature was a scorpion tattoo, but authorities were unable to positively identify her until they were able to access her DNA to trace her genealogy.
Police have since located and interviewed his brother, but perhaps more importantly, learned that he had a 2-year-old daughter at the time of his death. That daughter, who would now be 34, is named Christa Nicole, and they are looking for her, police said.
