UPDATE: 1:00 PM EST
Police confirm that the DNA of body parts found in Queens match missing teen Avonte Oquendo’s. His family has been notified.
We’ll keep you updated on the latest.
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Police investigating the whereabouts of missing New York teenager Avonte Oquendo have another piece of evidence to work with — a skull.
Last Thursday, a decomposed torso, left arm, legs and a sneaker similar to the one Avonte, 14, was wearing when he went missing in October, washed up on a northern Queens beach. The newest development in the case, the skull, is said to be “presumptively of the same body,” but it’s still unknown if that body belongs to Avonte.
Family attorney David Perecman told reporters, “there is no DNA evidence at this point in time” connecting the body parts to Avonte, who was last seen walking out of his school on Oct. 4.
Searchers have found most of the body, though ten teeth are missing, which could make it hard to identify the individual through dental records.
But Avonte’s family has yet another concern. If the DNA results determine that the body parts belong to Avonte, they fear foul play. According to the NY Post, the torso found was wearing underwear that didn’t belong to the teen.
Perecman said that he is concerned about the large Fruit of the Loom underwear found on the remains because Avonte didn’t wear ‘large’ and wore only the Hanes brand.
“If it is him, what that indicates to me is that something happened,” Perecman said. “Someone got a hold of him, moved him. I can’t say they harmed him, but why would the underwear have gotten changed?”
Still, Avonte’s mother, Vanessa Fontaine, remains “unswayed” as she waits for the medical examiner’s results.
“When I speak to her, she doesn’t want to watch the news, she doesn’t want to dig further into it,” Perecman said. “She’s just letting the days go by until she gets real evidence from the M.E.”
Our prayers go out to the Oquendo family during this difficult time.
