Novel DNA technique used in Gilgo killings ID's murder victim in Staten Island from 1991

When her body was found beaten, manacled and burned on Staten Island in 1991 the unidentified murder victim became known to some as the "Girl With the Scorpion Tattoo," because of a particular marking found on her body.

But after an investigation that spanned nearly 32 years and involved the expertise of an FBI official who has played a major role in the Gilgo Beach and other Long Island murder cases, the dead woman on Staten Island was identified through genetic genealogy as Christine Belusko, officials announced Tuesday.

“This is a story about a brutal and depraved murder, depraved acts of violence that killed this young girl in her prime and the dumping of her body in a lonely, desolate field on the shore of Staten Island,” said Staten Island District Attorney Michael E. McMahon as he announced the identity of the victim at a news conference.

McMahon also disclosed that Belusko, 29 at the time of her death, had a two year old daughter named Christa Nicole and investigators are trying to locate the child, who would now be about 34 if she has lived.

“We need the public’s help,” said McMahon about the search for Christa Nicole.

Belusko, whose age at the time of death wasn’t announced but has been estimated to have been at least in her mid-20s, was found by office workers in a weeded area opposite 777 Seaview Avenue in the East Shore area of Staten Island.

When police found Belusko on Sept. 19, 1991, she appeared to have been beaten on the back of the head with a hammer found nearby. Her hands had been cuffed and the body burned, according to McMahon.

“This was done by someone who knew her,” said McMahon.

An autopsy revealed a scorpion tattoo on Belusko’s buttock area. Cops also found jewelry at the crime scene. But despite years of investigation by the NYPD, which included uploading Belusko’s DNA to federal and local databases, her identity couldn’t be determined. Finally, in 2019 McMahon said he decided to use investigative genetic genealogy to crack the case.

Genetic genealogy is being used around the country to solve cases of unidentified crime victims. In 2020, FBI and Suffolk County Police officials announced they had identified Gilgo Beach murder victim Valerie Mack through genealogy. 

Last year, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney and SCPD commissioner Rodney Harrison said they solved the 1980 Long Island murder of Eve Wilkowitz through geneticgenealogy, a method in which unknown crime scene DNA is compared to genetic profiles uploaded to various website by members of the public. Any genetic similarities may lead to construction of genealogical family trees to determine identities.

McMahon said that Belusko was identified in April 2021 and around that time investigators learned from her brother that Belusko had a daughter.

On Tuesday, McMahon gave a shout out to New York FBI agent Laurie Giordano for helping in the Belusko case. Law enforcement officials said that Giordano, an expert in genealogy, has been involved in the Gilgo and Wilkowitz investigations. 

Genealogy is currently being used to try and identify the Gilgo victim known as “Jane Doe # 3,” as well as those of her toddler daughter. An FBI spokesman in New York said Giordano was unavailable for comment

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.com

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.