Suffolk DA reveals identities of 6 people in cold cases dating back 50 years

For decades, they were known by names like “Montauk Mary,” “Raymond Doe” and “Heckscher Jane Doe.”

On Thursday, Suffolk County authorities publicly named six people whose bodies were discovered between 1976 and 1999, including three homicide victims.

The announcement follows investigations by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Cold Case Unit and Suffolk County police, using DNA technology, genetic genealogy, fingerprint analysis and assistance from international authorities.

One woman, previously known as “Riverhead Jane Doe,” had already been identified by investigators, but her name had never been released publicly, according to the DA’s office.

“Every person deserves to be known by their name, and every victim deserves answers and justice,” District Attorney Ray Tierney said at a special press conference today at the Suffolk County Police Academy in Brentwood.

Authorities are asking anyone who knew the six people or has information about their deaths to come forward.

Three homicide victims identified

“Raymond Doe” was Ramon Perez y Rivera, about 41, a native of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Three people hunting rabbits in Deer Park found his severely burned body on Nov. 27, 1976. Investigators determined he had died from a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

A tattoo reading “Raymond” on his left upper arm gave investigators the name they used for nearly 50 years. His last documented record was the 1950 U.S. census, which listed him as “Raymond” and placed him in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn, according to the DA’s office.

“Montauk Mary” was Sofia Margherita Marrone, 73, of Pleasantville, New Jersey. A U.S. airman on his lunch break discovered her body near the parking lot at East Overlook Park on Montauk Highway on March 22, 1978.

She had been shot four times and was believed to have died just hours before she was found. Marrone was last seen six days earlier, leaving Shore Memorial Hospital in Somers Point, New Jersey.

“Heckscher Jane Doe” was Antoinette Rugg, 26, who had a 10-year-old son. Her skeletal remains were discovered at Heckscher State Park on April 2, 1978, after a dog being walked along the beach began scratching at the sand.

Investigators found a belt tightly bound around her neck. Her death was ruled a homicide by strangulation.

All three homicide victims were identified using advanced DNA sequencing and investigative genetic genealogy after searches of the FBI’s national DNA database failed to produce matches, according to the DA’s office.

Three more names made public

“Riverhead Jane Doe” was Kyong-Ok Kim, 32, originally from South Korea. A town employee operating a street sweeper found her body near a wooded area off Osborne Avenue, south of Horton Road, on March 12, 1990.

Kim moved to the United States in 1978, settled in Michigan and had a son that year. Around 1985, she became estranged from her family and moved to New York, where she lived in Woodside, Queens, and worked for a time at a Manhattan grocery store, authorities said.

Her cause of death remains under investigation.

A man found off Fire Island was Omelios Steward, 28. The U.S. Coast Guard discovered his body floating in the Atlantic Ocean about nine miles south of Fire Island on Nov. 4, 1990. Investigators believe he drowned.

Advances in fingerprint analysis helped establish his identity, according to the DA’s office.

A man found in Montauk was Andreas Kupke, 27, a German citizen visiting the United States. His body was discovered along the high-tide mark east of Ditch Plains on Dec. 24, 1999.

Kupke arrived at Newark International Airport on Nov. 24 but never boarded his scheduled flight home on Dec. 4. His parents subsequently reported him missing to German authorities.

Investigators identified him through a partnership involving Interpol, German authorities and police and forensic agencies in New York and New Jersey. His parents have since been notified, according to the DA’s office.

Anyone with information about the six individuals or their deaths is asked to call Suffolk Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. Translation services are available.

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Top: From left, Antoinette Rugg, Kyong-Ok Kim and Omelios Steward, three of six people whose identities Suffolk authorities publicly released Thursday in cases dating back decades. (Courtesy of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office)