In a chilling discovery, law enforcement officials in Suffolk County, Long Island, found two severed heads and other body parts in Southards Park, Babylon. The gruesome finds were made just hours after other body parts were discovered in the vicinity. Authorities are now investigating whether the notorious MS-13 gang, known for its brutal tactics, is behind these murders.
The severed heads, along with a right arm and leg, are believed to belong to a female victim. Another head and two arms are thought to be from a male victim. The male victim’s left arm, which was found with its tattoos intact but without fingertips, suggests that the perpetrators might have been trying to prevent identification through fingerprinting, according to law enforcement sources.
The brutal nature of the murders and the location of the bodies, near areas where the MS-13 gang has previously committed crimes, have led authorities to suspect the gang’s involvement. The gang, which has a stronghold in Long Island, is infamous for its violent killings and dismemberments.
The process of identifying the bodies is crucial as it will guide the direction of the investigation. Authorities are hopeful that the tattoo on the man’s arm will aid in his identification, as many law enforcement agencies maintain records of suspects’ tattoos.
The first body part, a dismembered left arm, was discovered by a schoolgirl walking with friends along Siegal Boulevard on the east side of the park. The girl alerted her father, who reported the find to the police. A subsequent search of the area led to the discovery of the other body parts.
A cadaver dog found the woman’s right arm “about 20 feet further into the woods from where the left arm [was found], almost in a direct line,” according to Suffolk County Detective Lt. Kevin Beyrer. The remains do not appear to have been in the park for a long period, with Beyrer suggesting it could be a matter of days, if not hours.
The MS-13 gang has a history of violent crimes in the area. A gang member pleaded guilty in May to killing and dismembering a rival gang member with knives and a machete in a park in Greenlawn, Suffolk. In a separate incident a few years earlier, a 22-year-old suspected informant was hacked to death and dismembered by the gang, with his body parts found in Uniondale, Nassau County, LI.