A human skull along with bones were found by contractor Giuseppe Lafata on Sept. 1, now the incident is being charged as a homicide! Hit the jump to find out more info!!
Police have launched a murder investigation after a Staten Island man found a human skeleton in his basement during his post-Hurricane Irene clean up.
The skull and bones were found by contractor Giuseppe Lafata on Sept. 1 inside a crawl space of his 70 Broad St. property.
The Medical Examiner ruled they were human and on Tuesday said the cause of death was from a stabbing.
Police found the identification of John Taylor, 20, in the space with the body.
Taylor was reported missing by his girlfriend on Jan. 8, 2000, at the same address.
Lafata, 48, told the Daily News he bought the building less than a year ago and the first-floor apartment was leased to Project Hospitality, which used it to house homeless people for several years.
Only one or two people were supposed to occupy the space, but he would frequently see four to five entering and exiting daily.
When Project Hospitality’s lease expired in July, Lafata did not renew it, choosing to renovate the property.
During Hurricane Irene, the building’s basement flooded and Lafata was pumping out water when his flashlight illuminated a skull and what appeared to be four leg bones the color of dirt.
“It can’t be possible,” Latafa thought as he made the grisly discovery last month.
The small space contains pipes and is no more than 3 feet high.
It is only accessible through a small door on the floor of a bedroom in the first-floor apartment.
Lafata, who owns GL Construction, said he called 911 immediately, and police kept him away from the building for several days. The basement is still sealed.
