Christine Belusko: NJ woman with scorpion tattoo FINALLY identified three decades after her murder
STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK: Police have finally identified the woman who was found brutally beaten and lit on fire on Staten Island almost more than three decades ago, in 1991. The woman was identified as Christine Belusko, 30, of Clifton, New Jersey and now the investigators are looking for the killer who is still at large.
The authorities have also been able to identify Belusko's daughter, Christa Nicole, who was only two years old at the time of her mother's murder. However, they have not been able to find her as of now.
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“We have already notified her family of her death, and we continue to make all efforts to also locate Christa Nicole so we can let her know about who her mother was and what has been done to bring justice to this case,” Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon, New York Post reported. “We can never bring her back, but we want Christa Nicole to know — and her family — that she was never forgotten.”
Over 30 years ago, an unidentified young woman was found brutally murdered on Staten Island’s East Shore. After years of work aided by innovative forensic genealogy, we ID’d Christine Belusko of Morris County, NJ as the victim, & that Christine had a 2 y/o child, Christa Nicole pic.twitter.com/XdRu4UTcoT
— Michael E. McMahon (@StatenIslandDA) March 22, 2023
Who was Christine Belusko?
Christine Belusko, a New Jersey native, was found savagely beaten with a hammer, strangled and set ablaze in Staten Island. According to a story published in the Staten Island Advance, her body was found handcuffed and burned, in the weeds off a South Beach road just after dawn on September 20, 1991.
How did Christine Belusko die?
The outlet reported in a 2021 review of the killing that the authorities determined that Belusko was struck 17 times in the back of the head with a bloody 13-inch hammer, the kind used in auto body shops which were found under her black dress-clad body. Police think that the name “Loyd L,” which is inscribed on the hammer’s handle, might help them to catch the killer.
Authorities also found two gold chains, a ring watch, 30 cents and a pack of Newport cigarettes. The distinctive scorpion tattoo on her right buttock also played a crucial part in her identification.
How did the police identify Christine Belusko?
McMahon said his office, along with the FBI and NYPD, had used forensic genealogy techniques to identify Belusko, as well as her daughter. NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig asked that anyone with information that could lead to either Belusko’s daughter or her killer should call 1-800-577-TIPS.
