Syracuse, N.Y. — A 21-year-old man from Ecuador suffocated a woman on her 21st birthday and then hid her body in a Syracuse park, prosecutors said.
The man buried the woman in a shallow grave about 15 feet back from trees in Lincoln Park on the city’s North Side, according to prosecutor Alphonse Williams. The man was staying in an Airbnb diagonally across the street from the park, he said.
The man, Jhon Moises Chacaguasay-Ilbis, was charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse, according to records from the Onondaga County Justice Center jail. He was booked in the jail Wednesday afternoon.
Chacaguasay-Ilbis had travelled to Central New York last week to meet the woman, Joselyn Jhoana Toaquiza, for her birthday on Tuesday, June 18, Williams told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard. People have told prosecutors that the two had gone to primary school together in their home country of Ecuador, Williams said.
Chacaguasay-Ilbis can be seen walking into the Airbnb at 916 Hawley Ave. around 4:20 p.m. June 18 with Toaquiza, according to surveillance video the property owner shared with family and police.
Three hours later, the video shows him carrying Toaquiza on his back, with her arms and legs wrapped around him. She appears limp and doesn’t move. It’s not possible to tell if she’s alive.
Williams said the owner of the Airbnb told police that there was blood found in the home.
Chacaguasay-Ilbis later returned to the Airbnb, and exited soon after with new clothes on, the video shows.
He hopped into a waiting Lyft minivan to the local Greyhound station, Williams said, and boarded a bus with a ticket to New York City.
Chacaguasay-Ilbis turned himself in to the police Tuesday evening in Spring Valley in Rockland County, Williams said. The suburban community is located about 35 miles northwest of New York City, near the New York-New Jersey line.
It is not clear what he had been doing for the past week, if he is employed or where he resides, Williams said.
Chacaguasay-Ilbis travelled to the United States last year and surrendered himself at the border, Williams said. He was released, Williams said, and may be applying for asylum.
Syracuse police picked up Chacaguasay-Ilbis on Wednesday morning from Spring Valley and transported him back to Central New York, police said in a news release Wednesday evening. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning.
Toaquiza was reported missing around 12:10 a.m. Wednesday, June 19 by her family before her body was found around 11:40 a.m. Saturday in Lincoln Park.
Her uncle, Paul Toaquiza, said she lived with him, his wife and children on the city’s North Side. They immigrated from Ecuador last year searching for better economic opportunities, he said.
Police ask anyone with information about the case to call them at 315-442-5222.
Police officers search Lincoln Park near the corner of Hawley Avenue and Mather Street in Syracuse on Saturday, June 22, 2024. A body was found in the 1100 block of Hawley Avenue that morning.Fernando Alba | falba@syracuse.com
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Staff writer Jon Moss covers breaking news, crime and public safety. He can be reached at jmoss@syracuse.com or @mossjon7.