Category: The New York Times

More than two decades after a 13‑year‑old girl disappeared while walking home from school in the Bronx, the case has been resolved. On February 24, 1999, Minerliz Soriano was last seen alive in the Pelham Parkway neighborhood. Four days later, her body was discovered in a dumpster in Co‑op City; she had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Despite extensive investigative efforts at the time, the case went cold. In 2019, the Bronx District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Police Department reopened the investigation using familial DNA analysis. Biological evidence preserved from the original investigation was submitted for advanced testing, which generated a familial match and an investigative lead. Follow‑up investigation and direct DNA comparison confirmed that the genetic profile belonged to Joseph Martinez, also known as “Jupiter Joe.” Martinez was arrested in November 2021 and, following a jury trial, was convicted in November 2025 of two counts of second‑degree murder. On March 26, 2026, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. This prosecution marked the first case in New York City to be solved using familial DNA, demonstrating the power of advanced forensic technologies and long‑term investigative persistence to deliver justice for victims and their families decades after a crime occurs. This case was supported through the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA (COLD) Program, which provides resources to help prosecutors apply modern forensic tools and investigative strategies to unresolved violent crimes.