Police on the scene after a woman’s body was found in an abandoned car in South Ozone Park Wednesday (Photo: Christina Santucci)
March 10, 2021 By Michael Dorgan
The body of a 26-year-old woman who had been missing for four months was found inside an abandoned car in South Ozone Park Wednesday, police said.
The woman, who police believe is Destini Smothers from upstate New York, was discovered by a tow truck driver who had been called out to pick up an abandoned black Toyota Camry in Springfield Gardens this morning.
The driver began towing the vehicle and discovered the grisly sight soon after he stopped his truck outside 150-08 Lefferts Blvd. when the tires on the Camry stopped moving. He looked for a spare tire in the trunk of the Camry and found her body.
Police and EMS responded to the scene shortly after 9:50 a.m. and the woman was pronounced dead at the location, according to the NYPD. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz visited the scene at around noon, according to reports.
Police on the scene after a woman’s body was found in the trunk of a car in South Ozone Park (Photo: Christina Santucci)
The NYPD preliminarily identified the victim as Smothers, who was from Troy, near Albany, after they found a driver’s license inside the trunk.
Smothers had been missing since Nov. 3 and was last seen outside Bowlero bowling alley, located at 69-10 34th Ave in Woodside.
Cops said the tow truck driver picked up the vehicle outside 151-24 134th Ave. in Springfield Gardens, more than 8 miles away from the bowling alley.
Friends were actively looking for Smothers and had set up a Facebook page as a means to find her. The page said that she went missing shortly after she got into a heated argument with her boyfriend outside the bowling alley.
The page notes that she owned a black 2011 Toyota Camry and was a mother of two.
Police said that the cause of death is unknown and an investigation is underway. Police did not say if they had any suspects.
Destini Smothers and police at the scene (NYPD and Citizen)
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