A 52-year-old mystery in New York City may soon be solved. The case began in October 1966, when 38-year-old Louise Pietrewicz went missing. At the time of her disappearance, Pietrewicz was the mother of an 11-year-old daughter. She was also carrying on an affair with married police officer William Boken. Boken, a member of the Southold Police Department in Long Island, was immediately suspected of playing a role in Pietrewicz's disappearance. However, no charges were brought against him in the matter.
More than a year after Pietrewicz's disappearance, in December 1967, Boken was arrested and charged with domestic violence.
According to the The Suffolk Times, Boken assaulted his wife, which resulted in a fourteen year period where Boken did not contact either his wife or his children. Boken died in Queens in 1982. He was subsequently buried in a pauper's grave on Hart Island.
The recent development in this case came when the Suffolk County Medical Examiner announced on Wednesday that a set of Skeletal Remains found in a Southold home belonged to Pietrewicz. The confirmation came thanks to DNA testing that matched the remains with one of Pietrewicz's living relatives.
Case closed...?
Pietrewicz's bones were found in the Southold home that once belonged to Boken. For decades, the home, which was shared between Boken and his estranged wife, contained Pietrewicz's remains.
The remains were located seven feet underneath the home's basement floor. There has yet to be an official word on how Pietrewicz died, but her relatives remain hopeful that Suffolk County officials will release that information very soon.
"I choked up. I have never forgotten Louise and I never will. She was my sister. It is over now," said Leo Jasinski, Pietrewicz's brother who currently lives in Riverhead, New York.
The daughter that Pietrewicz left behind is now Sandy Blampied of Middletown, New York. She also told reporters that she broke down in tears when police Detective Sergeant John Sinning informed her about the medical examiner's findings.
Judging by the evidence released to the public so far, it would appear that Boken killed Pietrewicz after some kind of domestic dispute.
Although this is all supposition at this point, Boken's violent streak was clearly on display back in 1967. Also, police had long suspected Boken of the crime, and given that Pietrewicz's bones were located on his former property, it would appear that this missing persons case is now a homicide investigation.
Long ordeal
Pieces of Pietrewicz's skeleton were first found in the Southold home back in 2013. After receiving new information in March, police investigators began digging in new spots in the basement. This successful excavation provided the M.E. with enough material to make a positive identification.
