JUSTIN KOWALCZIK - 17 months - Farmingdale NY

Remains of Infant Who Died 2 Years Ago Found in Family's Back Yard


A child welfare check led authorities to discover the remains of an infant whose death two years ago went unreported by his family, New York State Police said today.

Acting on a search warrant, authorities worked overnight to dig up the back yard of the Farmingdale, N.Y. home where the boy's family resides.

"It is absolutely a suspicious death and it is being investigated as such," State Police Major Patrick Regan told The Associated Press. "We don't have a cause of death, and to our knowledge, there was never a report made of the child being missing."

The remains of an infant were unearthed and sent to the medical examiner's office to confirm the identity of the child and cause of death.

The corpse is believed to be of Justin Kowalczik. The 17-month-old died in the summer of 2010 and his death went unreported until an investigation was launched last week, police said.

On Wednesday, authorities from the Suffolk County Child Protective Services visited the home of Robert Rodriguez and Heather Kowalczik to conduct a welfare check on their 6-year-old child, police said.

During that time, authorities say they became aware that Justin, who is one of Kowalczik's three children, was not accounted for.

The New York State Police interviewed Heather Kowalczik, who told police Justin died shortly after the family moved from Orange County, N.Y.

During the interview, authorities said they were also able to pinpoint a location in the family's backyard where the boy had allegedly been buried.

Rodriguez, who is the father of the couple's two older children, was identified as a person of interest and sought by police.

Authorities became alarmed when the couple's 9-year-old son did not show up for school on Friday.

An Amber Alert was issued and the child was located, police said.

The couple's two children have been placed in protective custody, police said.

Neither Rodriguez nor Kowalczik have been charged.

http://news.yahoo.com/remains-infant-died-2-years-ago-found-familys-222123541--abc-news-topstories.html

Family of 17-month-old boy found buried in backyard are evicted as state takes custody of two surviving boys


PUBLISHED: 08:52 EST, 11 October 2012
UPDATED: 09:20 EST, 11 October 2012

The family of a 17-month-old boy whose body was found buried in their backyard have been evicted from the home on the same day they lost custody of their two surviving boys.

Claims that Heather Kowalczik and her boyfriend Robert Rodriguez killed her youngest of three and secretly buried him where her surviving boys would play was all the home's owners in Farmingdale, New York said they needed.

'This is my family's property for 52 years, I rented it to what I thought was a nice couple, and they turned out to do this in my family's yard,' the property's owner Angela Lancia toldABC News.




Quick exit: The owners of the home where a
17-month-old boy was found buried in the backyard offered no patience in
evicting the family suspected behind the boy's death






Secret burial: On Saturday the boy's body was
found by police buried in this 3-foot-deep grave in the Long Island
home's backyard



Shocking find: The boy was discovered in the backyard of this home after child protective services
visited the family and inquired where their youngest born in 2009 was

State Police unearthed Justin Kowalczik’s body from a shallow grave on Saturday after a child welfare check led to an inquiry of the boy’s whereabouts.

'It's pitiful what they did to that poor child, and then they made their other children play in that yard. Some people got no conscience,' Mrs Lancia said.

On Tuesday every last item belonging to the couple was seen pulled from the two-family home and piled in the driveway, the same day an attorney for Rodriguez complied with a court request for the removal of his two surviving boys from his custody.

Rodriguez's attorney Bryon Divins told Newsday that his client lost his job and thought it was best for someone else to care for them.

Though neither Kowalczik or Rodriguez have been charged in the boy's mysterious death, the home was not immediately visited by the couple leaving their belongings stacked and unclaimed outside.





Parents: The boy's mother Heather Kowalczik and
her boyfriend Robert Rodriguez have not been charged in the mysterious
death and burial though Rodriquez, the father of Kowalczik's two older
boys, is a person of interest


Outrage: The property's owner Angela Lancia says Kowalczik and Rodriguez desecrated her
property by burying the boy in her backyard that has been in her family for the last 52 years



Investigation's end: After obtaining a search warrant for the home following an interview with
the residents, officers found the boy's body resting along this fence line

'Why he's not in jail? Why what kind of system do we have, what kind of system? They find him! What are they waiting for?

They're waiting for evidence!' Luigi Lancia told ABC.

Rodriguez who is the father of Kowalczik's two eldest boys, aged 6 and 9, but not the father of Justin, has been named a person of interest in the case.

Police said Kowalczik told them Justin died in the summer of 2010 though his cause of death is currently not known while an autopsy is underway.

On Tuesday a court requested the removal of Rodriguez’ two surviving boys shared with Kowalczik from his custody.

Complying, Rodriguez's attorney Bryon Divins told Newsday that his client lost his job and thought it was best for someone else to care for them.




Backyard party: Neighbours were shocked by
the news saying they had celebrated one of the home's two surviving
boy's birthday in the backyard in August



Chasing leads: State Police officers arrived in the dead of night to dig in the backyard after interviewing the boy's mother

After Officials with Suffolk County's Child Protective Services visited the family last week and realized one of the couple’s three boys was missing they grew more concerned when the family couldn't account for the whereabouts of a child born in 2009.

'It is absolutely a suspicious death and it is being investigated as such,' said State Police Major Patrick Regan. 'We don't have a cause of death, and to our knowledge, there was never a report made of the child being missing.'

Obtaining a search warrant and investigating the property’s backyard, it was there on the fence line they found the boy in a 3-foot grave resting near a soccer goal and children's toys.

The circumstances of his death remain unclear while foul play is not suspected. Authorities said it’s still unclear why the family kept it a secret.

On Saturday afternoon, after the boy's discovery, Rodriguez had refused to answer questions, Regan said.


Root of the crime: Officers have made no arrests at this time though the boyfriend of the
17-month-old's mother is considered a person of interest while not cooperating with authorities



Other brothers: Officers said that the 17-month-old's surviving half-siblings, two boys, are
currently in custody of county child welfare agents

'He did not come in willingly. He is not cooperating,' Regan said.

Neighbour Tekiera McCormack told Newsday that she was stunned.

'I can't see this,' she told the newspaper. 'This is crazy. She was a good mother. Those kids loved her.'

Like Ms McCormack, Michelle Peavey said she's especially mortified by the news as the family held a birthday party for one of the boys in the backyard in August.

'You mean we were back there with a body? Oh my god,' Mrs Peavey told MyFoxNY. She said her own boys played in the backyard and attended that same birthday party.

'I just want to sell the house. I don't even want to come back here,' the property's landlord Louis Lancia told Fox at the time.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2216184/Justin-Kowalczik-Family-17-month-old-boy-body-buried-Long-Island-backyard-evicted.html

Another POS mother. Another POS boyfriend. Another dead precious baby.

No arrests have been made. Why?