4 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 16, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM Decomposed body in Flushing park ‘for months,’ cops say BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI smonteverdi@qns.com @smont76 Human remains that were discovered inside Kissena Park in Flushing on Wednesday, Feb. 8, have probably been there for a long time, according to the commanding offi cer of the 109th Precinct. At approximately 1:13 p.m. on Feb. 8, police responded to a call from a passerby about a possible crime inside Kissena Park in the vicinity of 164th Street between Underhill and Booth Memorial Avenues. Upon arrival, authorities discovered the remains of a badly decomposed individual within a wooded area at the location. Deputy Inspector Judith Harrison spoke about the situation later that evening during the 109th Precinct Community Council meeting in Flushing. “It is safe to say that they were human remains,” Harrison said. “Badly decomposed; very badly decomposed. I would say probably there for months.” Harrison said offi cers from the precinct’s Detective Squad worked quickly to establish a crime scene and collaborate with the medical examiner and forensic anthropologist on the scene. “Now we’ll be endeavoring to fi gure out who this person is,” Harrison said. “And that, of course, is gonna be tough because of the decomposition of the body … But we’ll bring closure to the family as best we can.” Th e New York City Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing. 75-year-old Astoria woman dies after being mauled by dog BY ANGELA MATUA amatua@qns.com @AngelaMatua A 75-year-old Astoria woman was pronounced dead on Feb. 13 aft er apparently being attacked by her mastiff , police said. Offi cers from the 114th Precinct responded to a call at a home in the vicinity of 38th Avenue and 27th Street at about 12:58 a.m. and found the woman, who was unconscious and unresponsive with trauma to her upper torso. Louise Hermida, 75, was transported to Cornell Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. According to an NYPD spokesperson, her 39-year-old son was also found at the house with trauma to his left leg and taken to Cornell Hospital in stable condition. Police could not confi rm what caused the mastiff to lash out at its owner. According to Katy Hansen, spokesperson for Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC), the dog was adopted from ACC almost six years ago when he was a one year old. He is currently at the Manhattan ACC location. Th e New York City Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death; an investigation is ongoing. Flushing businesses damaged by fi re getting help BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI smonteverdi@qns.com @smont76 Businesses aff ected by the fouralarm fi re that raged through a downtown Flushing building last month are being provided with some much-needed support and assistance. On Wednesday, Jan. 25, fi refi ghters spent hours battling the blaze at 135-42 Roosevelt Ave., near the intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue, which spread throughout a packed commercial strip. Aft er putting out the fi re, an investigation by the FDNY determined that the cause was accidental and cooking-related. Th e commercial strip was home to a variety of small businesses including beauty and hair salons, an accounting fi rm, photo studio and driving school. Eight of the businesses involved in the blaze were off ered multi-language assistance on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at a workshop hosted by Councilman Peter Koo‘s offi ce. Representatives from the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS), the Flushing Business Improvement District and the Legal Aid Society were present to help business owners deal with insurance, commercial leasing, tenant rights and other legal issues. “Since the fi re occurred, the Department of Small Business Services has been on the ground helping small business owners recover,” an SBS spokesperson said. Th e city agency has off ered several resources and services, including pro-bono legal assistance, as well as help navigating government resources and retrieving important government documents that may have been lost in the fi re, the spokesperson added. “Running a business in New York City is a diffi cult and complicated task that is made more challenging in the event of an emergency such as last month’s devastating fi re,” Koo said. “Preparation is key to bouncing back aft er an emergency, and I’m grateful for the services our community has received from the City of New York, the Flushing BID and Legal Aid Society that will help address many of the problems facing our local businesses.” Future workshops will be held by Koo’s offi ce to help business owners understand commercial leases and plan for emergencies. Photo via Shutterstock Photo via We Love Whitestone Facebook group/Jimmy Johnson Authorities on the scene at Kissena Park on Feb. 8. Photo via Twitter/@FDNY
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