20-year-old vanished leaving party, New York cops say. Remains just found months later
Skeletal remains discovered off of a parkway in Long Island, New York, were identified as a 20-year-old man who vanished after leaving a house party in April, police said.
Family members reported Isaiah Henriquez, of West Babylon, a community on Long Island, missing on April 9, according to the Suffolk County Police Department. The report came the day after he was last seen leaving a party at around 7:30 p.m. April 8 in Brentwood, a community in the town of Islip on Long Island, the department said.
His remains were found in a wooded area off of the Southern State Parkway, which runs through Long Island, in Islip the morning of July 13, New York State Police said in a news release that day.
A person traveling eastbound on the parkway came across the remains after pulling over near exit 40 and called 911, Patch.com reported.
Suffolk County police announced the identification of Henriquez’s body in a July 15 news release.
“The circumstances surrounding the cause of his death are under investigation,” police said in the release.
State police are handling the investigation, a Suffolk County police spokesperson told McClatchy News on July 17.
The discovery of Henriquez’s body comes two weeks after his mother spoke with News 12 Long Island about how she’d been searching for her son ever since his disappearance.
“I promise you I will not stop searching for you and we’re going to bring you back home,” she said at the time, according to the outlet.
After leaving the house party in Islip on April 8, Henriquez’s mother told the outlet her son got in a Lyft rideshare vehicle and headed to the Poospatuck Reservation in the community of Mastic on Long Island.
In a statement to McClatchy News on July 17, Lyft confirmed Henriquez was driven and dropped off at his intended location.
“Our hearts go out to Mr. Henriquez’s loved ones,” a Lyft spokesperson said. “We have been in contact with the rider’s family to offer our support and are assisting law enforcement with their investigation.”
Henriquez’s mother said she spoke with Henriquez hours before he headed to the party that evening in an interview with WPIX.
She remembers him saying “‘Alright ma, I’ll see ya later,’” before he went missing, according to the TV station.
This story was originally published July 17, 2023 at 4:56 PM with the headline "20-year-old vanished leaving party, New York cops say. Remains just found months later."
.jpg)