Do you know who killed 17 year old Laurie McKissick in 1999? On June 10, 1999, the body of 17-year-old Laurie McKissick was discovered in the woods opposite 585 Bronx River Road in Yonkers, New York. A person walking their dog found the female teenager, who was a runaway from a Bronx group home, at approximately 3:17 p.m. Her shirt and bra had been pushed up around her neck, and she was not wearing any shoes.
The last time she was seen alive was earlier that morning, reportedly arguing with a Black male in a red van that was stopped on the side of the road in the same area where her body was later found.
Laurie, a Black female, had a tumultuous home life. Her parents were separated, and she had been living in a group home, which she disliked, though she maintained contact with her mother who lived in Brooklyn. Friends of Laurie mentioned that she had met an older man from Yonkers.
For years, Laurie's case remained cold. A significant development came in 2012 when a man named James Martin was arrested for the 1998 murder of 14-year-old Marleny Cruz. Marleny and Laurie were friends and had lived at the same group foster home in the Bronx. The connection between the two cases was first made by Laurie's mother, Marjorie Gabriel, who recognized similarities in the circumstances of their deaths. Both teenagers were runaways from the foster care system and were killed a year apart.
Following Martin's arrest for the murder of Marleny Cruz, the Yonkers Police Department announced that he was a person of interest in Laurie's death. Investigators were hopeful that this new lead would finally bring a resolution to the 13-year-old cold case. DNA evidence from the scene of Laurie's murder was submitted for re-testing to compare it with James Martin's DNA.
Despite the initial optimism, the results of the DNA testing were never publicly released. James Martin pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of Marleny Cruz and received a lengthy prison sentence. However, as of recent reports, he has not been charged in connection with the death of Laurie McKissick, and her case officially remains unsolved.
