QUEENS, NY — The boyfriend of a Queens woman who vanished last week has been charged with murder after police found her body buried in a shallow grave in Edgemere. Authorities identified the victim as Seraphina Pereira, 35, a mother of three who had been reported missing from Far Rockaway.
Police say Rogelio Lozano-Garita, 26, is facing murder, criminal possession of a weapon, concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence. The criminal charges follow a discovery that turned a missing-person case into a homicide investigation in a neighborhood where family members had been pleading for answers.
Body found near Rockaway Community Park after days of searching
Officers discovered the woman’s body at Rockaway Community Park near Beach 58th Street and Almeda Avenue, according to authorities. The remains were buried in a shallow grave, prompting investigators to treat the scene as a violent crime location.
The city medical examiner later determined that Pereira had been shot once in the head. That finding helped confirm the cause of death and tied the case to the murder charge filed against Lozano-Garita.
Police have not publicly said how long the body had been there before it was found, but the discovery came only days after the search for Pereira began.
Family flyers and a missing-person case in Ocean Bay Apartments
Pereira had been reported missing about a week earlier from the Ocean Bay Apartments complex on Beach 54th Street in Far Rockaway. Family members posted flyers and tried to gather information as they looked for the mother of three.
The disappearance drew concern in the surrounding community, where people were trying to piece together what happened in the days after she was last seen. The missing-person case quickly became a focus for both relatives and investigators.
By the time her body was found, the family’s search had already been overtaken by a homicide investigation. That shift left loved ones facing the worst possible outcome after days of uncertainty.
Police search at apartment complex led to detention of a suspect
On Monday night, police and hostage negotiators descended on the apartment complex while searching for a man believed to be connected to the case. Authorities later located and detained that person at another nearby location.
At the time, law enforcement sources described him as a person of interest and said he was the father of two of Pereira’s children. Police have now connected that investigation to the murder case filed against Lozano-Garita.
The large police response at Ocean Bay Apartments drew attention from neighbors and signaled that investigators had already narrowed their focus. The later arrest brought the case into a more formal criminal phase.
Neighbors react as fears around Pereira's disappearance are confirmed
Residents in the area said the visible police presence seemed to confirm what many had feared since Pereira went missing. One neighbor told Eyewitness News that the situation was heartbreaking, especially because Pereira had children.
“She got three kids. It’s real sad. Nobody deserves that,” the neighbor said. The comment reflected the shock felt in the community as the missing-mother case turned into a homicide investigation.
For neighbors, the search, the police response and the grim discovery all pointed to a tragedy unfolding close to home. The case has now left the community with a dead woman, unanswered questions and a criminal prosecution underway.
What prosecutors say Rogelio Lozano-Garita is facing now
Lozano-Garita, who is from Queens, is charged with murder, criminal possession of a weapon, concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence. Those charges reflect both the killing and the steps investigators say were taken afterward to hide what happened.
Police have not detailed a possible motive, and public information has not yet laid out a timeline explaining exactly how Pereira died before she was buried. What is clear is that investigators believe her death was violent and that evidence in the case supported the arrest.
The case remains centered on the final days of a woman who was reported missing and then found dead in a shallow grave. Prosecutors are now expected to build their case around the location, the injuries and the relationship between Pereira and the defendant.