Children find woman's burned body in wooded area on Staten Island

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Monday, November 26, 2018
Children find woman's burning body in wooded area on Staten Island
Candace McCowan reports from Tottenville, where some children made a gruesome discovery

TOTTENVILLE, Staten Island (WABC) -- Police are investigating the death of a woman who was apparently set on fire on Staten Island.



Investigators say firefighters responded to a wooded area at Bartow Avenue and Eugene Street in Tottenville, where two teenagers reported finding the body behind a high school Sunday afternoon.



Police say the body had burn marks but was not on fire when they arrived near Long Pond Park.



Authorities believe the victim, identified as 30-year-old Yelena Rabkina, had likely been there for several days.



"This is a great quiet neighborhood," area resident Ron Ribaudo said. "It's a dead-end street. There's never cars parked here. To think, right down the block from the house, there was a murder, it's crazy. It really is. It's kind of sad. You wonder where you live sometimes."



Her death is considered suspicious, but the Medical Examiner will determine the exact cause.



No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.



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