Daughter Of Murdered Morris Co. Woman Still Missing After 30 Years

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — An investigation into Christine Belusko's past has provided investigators with yet another mystery after a more than 30-year-old cold case on Staten Island was revived.

In September 1992, Belusko was discovered brutally beaten, strangled, handcuffed, and burned in a wooded area on Seaview Avenue on Staten Island's East Shore. Belusko had a daughter in 1989, two years before her brutal murder, which police were unaware of at the time.

The child was named Christa Nicole.

Belusko was found with nearly 20 blows to the head, and the apparent murder weapon — a hammer etched with the name Lloyd L. on its handle — was discovered.

The Staten Island District Attorney's Office has identified Belusko as "the woman with the scorpion tattoo" with the assistance of the FBI and genetic genealogy websites.

Belusko is thought to have lived in Morris County, but no one reported her missing.

When prosecutors used forensic genealogy to finally identify Belusko, it left detectives with a lingering question: What happened to Christa Nicole?

"Our work will not be done until we solve this case once and for all. We implore anyone who might have information to contact us so we can find Christa Nicole, and bring justice to the memory of the girl with the scorpion tattoo,” District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said.

The identity of Belusko was revealed to police in April 2021, according to Dave Nilsen, chief of the district attorney's Detective Investigators Squad.

Belusko's brother learned of her death in June 2021. During that interview, prosecutors discovered she had a daughter.

Prosecutors used a PowerPoint presentation to show an age-progression photo of Christa Nicole created by the FBI and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Authorities elaborated Christa Nicole was born on Aug. 1, 1989, at Barnert Memorial Hospital in Paterson. She is currently 33 years old.

Anyone with information about Belusko, her daughter, or her killer is urged to contact the Richmond County District Attorney's Office at 718-556-7085, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig.