Two dog walkers strolling along Rockaway Beach on the frigid afternoon of Feb. 5, 2005, made a horrific discovery: the body of a dead toddler lying not far from where the chilled, wintry waves hit the shore.
The mystery behind the person who killed the toddler has endured for the last 20 years, but investigators like Detective Matthew Debonis from the NYPD Cold Case Squad say they are working hard to close the book on the murder once and for all and to bring the child’s killer to justice.
According to police, two women peacefully walked their dog along the beach near Beach 110th St. almost two decades ago, collecting shells as they strolled when they came upon an eye-catching blanket beside a piece of driftwood. Approaching the fabric, the pair were horrified to discover the human remains of a young boy obscured in water and sand.
Debonis says the loss had a devastating impact on the Far Rockaway community, with mourners constructing a makeshift memorial in the days following the tragedy.
He also says it had an impact on those working to crack the case, especially since many of the cops are parents themselves. Police named the lost boy John Valentine Hope.
“The name Hope, it speaks to never giving up on identifying him, or finding out what happened to him,” Debonis said. “I’m very hopeful. I hope that with the release of this article, someone may come forward, especially someone who may remember that blanket and just give us a lead that we can follow up on.”
The blanket in which the dead toddler was found was distinctive and rare, according to the detective.
“These remains are determined to be that of a young boy between the ages of three and five years old, and they were wrapped in a Disney sheet with a yellow canvas material duffel bag,” Debonis told amNewYork Metro. “That’s very distinctive, this Disney sheet. It’s a Walt Disney 82 fire chief with various characters from Disney, including Mickey Mouse dressed as a fireman.”
Detectives believe that the child had been abused before he was deliberately dumped in the water and he washed up adore. He had suffered broken ribs, and vertebrae — and he had also been decapitated; the head was never recovered. While investigators surmise that some of the injuries may have occurred during decompression, an autopsy concluded that trauma to the body had occurred before he was placed in the water.
Police also reported they are using DNA extracted from the remains to try and track down a family member who may know what happened.
The detective says he and the rest of the department are not resting until baby Hope sees justice.
“To do this to a child is a horrific thing,” Debonis said. “We are not resting until we solve this case.”
Anyone with information regarding this cold case can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
