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Subscribe to RSSPolice have discovered what they believe to be the remains of Justin Kowalczik, a missing 17-month-old boy in Farmingdale, Long Island.
According to investigators, Kowalczik's remains were found buried in the backyard of the home Justin's mother, Heather Kowalczik, rented with her boyfriend and their two other children.
The search for Justin was ignited Wednesday after police say someone called Child Protective Services out of concern for the health and welfare of Justin's 6-year-old sibling.
Police said when officials inquired into Justin's whereabouts, his mother first said he was with relatives, but then revealed he died in 2010. It was unclear how he died and why he was buried in the family's backyard.
Kowalczik and her boyfriend, Robert Rodriguez, have been questioned by police but have not been charged. An investigation is ongoing.
"It is absolutely a suspicious death and it is being investigated as such," said State Police Maj. 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."
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On Friday, an Amber Alert was issued when Rodriguez abducted his 9-year-old son, after allegedly learning of the investigation.
The Amber Alert was canceled a short while later when the two were found by police.
A medical examiner is performing an autopsy on Justin, who would have been 3 years old.
Police say Kowalczik and Rodriguez are no longer cooperating with authorities. Their two surviving children were in the custody of county child welfare agents, police said.
Neighbor 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."
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Leave a Comment:
Devil is on loose...me saying words like that not even practicing much religion. Its horrifying what people are doing today !!!!Mad world. You can't trust anybody....Terrible times to live in
you can trust obama, lol oh just joking.lol
DBTH=your @!$%#ed in your way of thinking=theres NOT ONE STATE that permits you burrying a person on your property let alone WITHOUT an AUTOPSY..WHERE in hell do you live?
Exactly, you do this only if your hiding something, like abuse.
How is no one arrested? She lied about it. Arrest her. Or is she an obama supporter? I hear they get a got out of jail free card if they voted for him.
I bet she is. why else would they not arrest her.
She is crazy and a crappy mother, a life in jail will fix this, why put him in a grave in the backyard unless you have some thing to hide.
I remember when sex was something special and having children was a thought out choice and you waited for marriage to have children. Now it is hooking up with anyone, anywhere that you don't know from Adam, just so they have a certain body part. Children just happen and then are considered an intrusion in the immature lives of the sperm and egg donors that created them.
Parents teach their children that they can have and do anything they want and we wonder why there are so many soulless heartless narcissists that kill their children and sex partners because they don't get what they want and can't care about anyone but themselves. There is no value for life.
Another case for mandatory sterilization.
Such a sad story. However has anyone considered that the child became sick and they couldn't afford medical help and he just died. Maybe they couldn't afford a proper burial so buried him in their back yard. Whatever the circumstances it's so sad. I hope they didn't cause his death. I'm sure they are grieving over their loss. If one or both of them caused this poor little boys death, then I hope they are found out and given the death penalty. The other kids need to be removed from their care until the case is solved. It's beyond me how anyone could harm their own child.
The fact that they did not tell anyone makes them guilty in my eyes.
It's absolutey a suspicious death. Wonder what gave em the first clue.
S T E R I L I Z E...both
and if the ACLU says it is their rights...then the ACLU should be charged with their lives in full from womb to tomb--
stereilize hell!!!! you get my drift!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That poor baby! May he now rest in peace. As for the mother, I hope they throw the book at her.
I'm quite certain there are laws on the books addressing improper disposal of a human body so why the hell is she not in the slammer while they conduct their "investigation?" What a society
Uhh Huhh....Rodriguez....FIGURES!!
Yep. I Agree. Mexicans are known to be that great with kids and can be abusive.
You people are just racist hate-mongers. Whatever happened, and happens, to blame it on the fact that the boyfriend is Mexican is shameful.
It's not being racist Guitarma, that's their nature....it is what it is!!
so i guess the child died from being suffocated(mouth taped up) and the mother will walk > oh wait they already let her go her name.....what was it ....oh thats it..... Casey Anthony!!!
But seriously its both sad and disturbing> mother probally snapped and you kinda can guess what happened she hurt the child realized the child wasn't moving was afraid to report it to the police buried the remains in the backyard>covered up the boys dissapearance!!!
R.I.P. lil' fella
I believe the Toddler simply died of natural causes, and he was burried. It just seems that simple.
If you are a "Good mother" you are not going to bury your child and hide the fact that the child died. You are going to give it a decent burial. They had something to hide like child abuse and it will come to light during t he investigation.
hummm ,, some one makes a complaint to child welfare about one of the children.so investigator is sent over to check it out.somehow the investigator learns that a 17 month old baby is buried in the back yard..HOW???? if the guy took off with the other boy,, then that leaves mom and the 6 year old. OR,, did the 6 year old say something about the baby in the back yard to an adult. and that started the investigation. then you have the neighbor who said she was a good mother ???BUT,, this neighbor didn't notice the 17 month old baby missing for 2 years. to say she was a good mother,, ment she had to have spent time with the mother. but still didn't notice a missing baby. the boyfriend fathered the 2 oldest,,, who fathered the youngest ? maybe the boyfriend thought he did,, until the child started getting older. then he figured it out. and killed the child.
Are you resting your case so the defense can start now
Lived on Long-G-Island for 25 years. Nassau County Police are Excellent and they will solve this
" A suspicious death," this cop is a real Sherlock Holmes... what's sadder, this comment or the mom and boyfriend who killed and covered up the death?
Anoter incident where the boyfriend took presedence over her own child. The child was murdered either by the boyfriend or both and his b ody hidden. This is all too commoin. When are mothers going to be mothers and put their children over their boyfriends.
You just don't know how many Susan Smith's there are in the world and it would be safe to guess that you really don't want know either!
I love the neighbor saying "she was a good mother". Sorry, but "good mothers" don't hide the death of a child for two years, or bury a child in the backyard to avoid punishment. Something smells to high heavens here. The fact that the mother and her boyfriend are no longer cooperating with the police pretty much speaks for itself. My guess is that the boyfriend killed the little boy - accidentally or otherwise - and the mother covered it up to protect him - because, like too many women, she put a man ahead of her children. If that is the case, I hope the two of them are punished to the fullest extent of the law.
The laws and the systems put into place to protect children.... SUCK in this country... far too many get away with far too much every damn day... what the hell kind of "greatness" is that!
Whether the death was natural or not and I doubt it was from natural causes this couple are not worthy of being free in society ever again. Evidence like this is very suspicious and cold blooded. If the child had died from natural causes then the parents would have initially reported it instead of burying the child in the back yard and the police are stupid for not at least charging them with tampering with evidence and mutilation of a corpse which in itself should lead to murder by child abuse or neglect. But who cares? The police are infallible.
When we live in a country where parents treat a deceased child as a bag of garbage we need to evaluate ourselves individually and then evaluate the problem and do a audit on the laws that have been passed and who has abused them
I just find it hard to grasp the concept that this child's disappearance went unnoticed for so long.
Surely, an aunt or uncle or SOMEONE noticed that the family was smaller.
The mother and boyfriend didn't report the child's disappearance or death. IN fact, the mother lied to police about the child being with relatives before admitting the child was deceased.
The mother and boyfriend are refusing to answer questions,etc.
Hopefully, the truth will be found out soon & the other two remaining children will be kept safe.
And if the mother and boyfriend are guilty, then I hope that they are punished to full extent of the law.