A body found in a Staten Island park this weekend was "partially burned" and decomposing, authorities said.
The deceased, a female who has not yet been identified, was discovered by two teenagers in a wooded area of Long Pond Park, near Bartow Avenue and Eugene Street, around 1 p.m. on Sunday, police said. According to reports, she was lying face down and only partially clothed.
A source told the Staten Island Advance that the woman's upper back, hair and arms were “charred," and that an accelerant was recovered in the area.
Neighbor Ronnie Ribaudo told PIX11 that he "spoke to detectives to see what was going on and they said the body was there for two weeks." Ribaudo also informed the Times that he spotted a suspicious white pickup truck parked in the vicinity two weeks ago. “If you’re going to do something illegal, I guess the woods are right here," he said.
Police are investigating the death as a homicide, and have not identified any suspects. The office of the New York City medical examiner is working to determine the cause of death.
UPDATE: Police have identified the woman as 30-year-old Staten Island resident Yelena Rabkina. She was reported missing on November 18th, according to the Daily News.
Friends and family members mourned the news, with one writing on Facebook, "I’m fighting tears back and refuse to believe that this wonderful soul is no longer with me." Rabkina's cause of death is unknown, and an investigation remains ongoing.
