MS-13 link? FBI again finds human remains in Long Island park
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Human remains were discovered in a Long Island park on Wednesday, a week after the body of a teenage boy — who may have been killed by the vicious MS-13 gang — was found in a wooded area just a few miles away.
FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force located human remains at Cow Meadow Park in Freeport, its New York bureau announced on Wednesday. The FBI acted on a tip connected with the savage street gang MS-13 that led them to the remains, FOX5NY reported.
“FBI has no further comment at this time,” the bureau said in a statement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A spokeswoman for Nassau County Police Department told Fox News it was assisting the FBI with the investigation. The FBI did not immediately return Fox News’ request for comment.
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Residents who frequented the area said they were shocked about the gruesome discovery and said violence rarely occurred in the neighborhood.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“There’s been rumors circulating in the neighborhood that MS-13 was hanging out in the park. But we found it hard to believe,” a resident told FOX5NY.
Investigators also searched a wooded area in Massapequa on Wednesday, but the only discovery announced was the gruesome find in Freeport.
“We’ve been going to this park our whole life,” Adam LaMonica told Newsday. “There’s never any violence down here or anything. It’s very unusual for this part of Freeport.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The discovery came just a week after 16-year-old Angel Soler’s body was discovered on the Baldwin-Roosevelt border. Soler, who vanished in July, was found dead after a “person of interest” gave Homeland Security Investigations a “detailed” tip about where the remains were.
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Sources told Newsday investigators believe MS-13 may have killed Soler. Nassau County police told Fox News they have not confirmed the death was gang-related and there’s an ongoing investigation into the case.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Soler’s mother, Suyapa Soler, also openly said she believed her son’s death was gang-related, but would not reveal what information led her to that conclusion or which gang may have been responsible.
It’s unclear if the remains are linked to Soler’s death at this time. Two of Soler’s good friends and classmates at Freeport High School, Kerin Pineda and Josue David Amaya, also disappeared in May and September 2016. Pineda’s mother, Lilian Olivia, told FOX5NY she "fears the worst" for her son and is worried when she hears a body is found that it will be Pineda.
Police did not confirm their disappearance, but family members fear the two teenagers also died from gang violence, Newsday reported. Claudia Erazo, Amaya’s sister, told Newsday her brother was being threatened at school but he never specified anything related to gangs. She added she is still holding onto hope that Amaya is alive.