NY - Remains of Justin Kowalczic, 17 mos, buried in LI backyard, July 2010

Police have discovered what they believe to be the remains of Justin Kowalczic, a missing 17-month-old boy in Farmingdale, Long Island.

According to investigators, Kowalczic's remains were found buried in the backyard of the home Justin's mother Heather Kowalczik rented with her boyfriend and their two other children.

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matou said:

So confused about the levels of alerts with the three kids in this family. The toddler was missing and the body is found buried. That dead child would have been three years old if still alive. Child services was alerted about a 6 year old and now the father tried abducting the oldest kid? WTH?

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/loca...rmingdale-Long-Island-Backyard-172957971.html

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matou said:

So confused about the levels of alerts with the three kids in this family. The toddler was missing and the body is found buried. That dead child would have been three years old if still alive. Child services was alerted about a 6 year old and now the father tried abducting the oldest kid? WTH?

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/loca...rmingdale-Long-Island-Backyard-172957971.html

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cocomod said:

How can a baby disappear and noone reports it for 2 years??? I just can't stand it!

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zippitydoda said:

This was a blurb on the news last night - heard something about someone, possibly other family, calling about not seeing the baby for awhile.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york

Body of 17-month-old who went missing more than 2 years ago found buried in backyard where family lived

Rodriguez and the dead boy’s mother, Heather Kowalczik, had two older sons: Robert, 9, and Alex, 6. Heather was the mother of the dead child, but Rodriguez was not Justin’s father.

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During an interview with Kowalczik, police say she revealed that her 17-month-old -- who was born in 2009 -- was buried in the back yard and his death had gone unreported.

"I just broke down. I had to tell them what Robert did," Kowalczik, 29, told the paper.

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"He was pretty much keeping watch of me, he hit me in the head, smacked me in the face if I’d say anything," she said.

Neighbors reportedly knew about the infant's existence, but told reporters that Kowalczik claimed she was in a car accident and lost him during pregnancy.

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The landlords said the couple paid their rent on-time but lived in filth.

They kept the windows open all winter and ran-up a thousand-dollar a-month heating bill.

The Lancias evicted the couple because they're so revolted over what's happened.

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Suffolk County's medical examiner is working to determine the boy's cause of death, but officials say that probe could take weeks.

In a custody hearing late Tuesday afternoon, a Suffolk County family court judge decided to keep Rodriguez and Kowalczik's two sons, ages 6 and 9, in the custody of Child Protective Services. There will be another hearing on the matter in November.

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No one has ever been arrested in the case, not even for improper burial of the child. Rodriguez retained a lawyer and never submitted to police questioning. Heather Kowalczik’s two other boys went to live in foster care and she was staying with her father.

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Also, State Police are continuing to investigate the death of 17-month-old Justin Kowalczik. His body was found buried in the backyard of his family's Farmingdale home in October 2012, after a Suffolk Child Protective Services worker had questioned the boy's mother and stepfather about the child's whereabouts during a check on his other siblings.

The family had lived in Orange County before moving to Long Island. Authorities said it was unclear what led to the boy's death, but they said he had been buried for two years before his body was discovered.

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