Marisol De Los Santos, sister of a Woodhaven mother whose bones were found in Forest Park, spoke on Friday alongside City Councilman Hiram Monserrate, left. (Austin Considine) The human remains recently discovered in a suitcase in Forest Park belong to a Woodhaven mother of two who went missing in June, police medical examiners have confirmed.
Remains of Reyna Isabel De Los Santos — which were discovered on March 4 by several youths — were identified using dental records, the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information said.
At press time, a suspect in the murder had not been arrested. The DCPI did confirm, however, that Edwin Fuentes, the victim’s widower, had been arrested on evidence of child abuse.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office said that Fuentes had been charged and that bail was set at $50,000.
The victim left the house on June 19 following an argument with Fuentes and never came back, police said. Family members claim that only under pressure from them did Fuentes file a police report after Reyna Isabel De Los Santos had been missing for three days.
Family and community members said they were outraged over the handling of the disappearance, which police had deemed voluntary. But family and friends had long maintained it was a homicide and warranted more attention.
“Reyna Isabel would never abandon her family,” said City Councilman Hiram Monserrate at a press conference outside his district office in East Elmhurst. “We understood that then, as we know that now.”
Monserrate, the first Latino to be elected in Queens to the City Council, has pushed publicly for a more thorough investigation since early August. Now that homicide has been confirmed, Monserrate is exhorting police and the district attorney to act decisively.
“We expect a vigorous, vigorous investigation and a full prosecution” once the culprit is determined, he said. “We will not accept one day less than the maximum.”
Marisol De Los Santos, the sister of the victim, has worked closely with Monserrate since just after the disappearance, traveling between Queens and her home in the Dominican Republic. She spoke at the press conference, saying (as translated by Monserrate) that, after “much sorrow and pain,” she believed that a “chapter has closed,” and that the family could begin to grieve properly.
“We’re looking for some peace for the family,” she said. Visibly shaken, and with tears in her eyes, she echoed Monserrate’s call for justice.
“Women, and Latinas in particular, have a very difficult time in making domestic violence complaints,” she said. “We must ensure that this never happens again.”
Others, like Enrique Lugo, community relations director of the Corona National Community Center, were more vociferous.
“We are dealing with a racist and double standard system, he shouted at the press conference, gesturing forcibly as he spoke. “When a white woman goes missing they let the dogs out, they fly helicopters.”
Of equal concern for the family all along has been the future of the victim’s children, both of whom were left in Fuentes’ custody until his arrest. Since the beginning, there has been special concern for the safety of Ariel Reyes, 18, Reyna Isabel De Los Santos’ son from a previous marriage. Marisol De Los Santos has been petitioning the Administration for Children’s Services since the summer for custody of the child.
Concern is especially acute because of an alleged history of violence in the Woodhaven household.
At the press conference, Milagros Pantaleon, the murder victim’s cousin, who also lives in Woodhaven, recounted a story in Spanish of having personally witnessed Fuentes grabbing Reyna Isabel by the throat. She believes if she had not intervened, Fuentes could have killed her cousin then.
Pantaleon also claimed that the case worker in charge of Reyes had filed a report to the ACS in December, citing concerns over bruises on his face.
The ACS would not respond to questions regarding any aspect of the case, deeming all child-related matters confidential.
Custody of Reyes was finally awarded on Friday to Marisol De Los Santos, under the auspices of Adult Protective Services, an assistance program for mentally or physically impaired adults. But the fate of Fuentes’ biological daughter, nine-year-old Tais Fuentes, remains uncertain.
On Monday, the De Los Santos family attorney filed a family court petition for custody of Tais to be turned over to Marisol De Los Santos and Pantaleon.
Monserrate, who himself has an autistic son and is a former police officer, was asked if, according to his experience, he thought the police investigation was handled properly. Though he stopped short of the kinds of allegations made by Lugo, he did have some criticism.
“Could the Police Department have done more?” he asked. “The answer, in my opinion, is yes.”
