Crime & Safety
Man Killed, Bound In Jackson Heights Was Strangled: OCME
The man mysteriously found dead in his Jackson Heights home in February was strangled, the medical examiner's office ruled.
JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS — The man mysteriously found dead in his Jackson Heights home in February was strangled, the medical examiner's office ruled Wednesday.
Police found Rafael Huertas, 56, dead and bound in a sixth-floor apartment in 37-41 79th St. on Feb. 9, the New York Post reported.
Investigators since ruled that his death was a homicide. The cause was "neck compression including ligature strangulation," the medical examiner's office said Wednesday, using technical terminology for strangling with a cord or rope.
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Huertas was covered by a plastic sheet and surrounded by drug paraphernalia when first responders found him, according to the New York Daily News.
The NYPD's investigation is ongoing. There are no arrests.
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