Laura McKissick

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Yonkers City Police Department (NY)

Summary:

Laura "Laurie" McKissick was found on June 10, 1999, in the woods opposite 585 Bronx River Road at approximately 3:17 pm by a person walking their dog. McKissick did not have any shoes on and her shirt and bra were pushed up by her neck exposing her chest. Laurie had been raped and her clothes were bloody. She had been suffocated with her own clothing.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

Laura McKissick had a rough childhood. After surviving a leukemia diagnosis at 11 she was raped by her father. After the rape, he was sent to prison and she became emotionally detached. She began staying out of the home and her grades started to drop. Eventually McKissick was admitted to the Bronx Children’s Home, Sheltering Arms. She immediately ran away once placed and lived on the streets for two years, staying in contact with her mother. McKissick was last seen by her mother five days before her body was discovered. They had met at 183rd and Grand Concourse in the Bronx. She was found on June 10, 1999, in the woods opposite 585 Bronx River Road at approximately 3:17 pm by a person walking their dog. McKissick did not have any shoes on and her shirt and bra were pushed up to her neck exposing her chest. Laurie had been raped and murdered. Three weeks after her murder, an ambulance driver called in a tip. They saw an altercation between an older black man and a barefoot woman outside on 585 Bronx River Road shortly before 8 am on the day of the murder. The woman saw a red van (possibly a Ford Econoline) parked facing south in the northbound lane blocking traffic near whereMcKissick’s body was later discovered. An autopsy was unable to determine McKissick’s exact cause of death, although detectives theorize she was smothered with her own clothing. In an interview with The Journal News, McKissick’s mother, Marjorie Gabriel, stated Yonkers police found a semen-filled condom under her daughter’s body as well as blood on her clothing but that neither were ever examined for DNA evidence. Gabriel says she provided DNA samples and fingerprints needed to enter her daughter’s case into the state’s computerized missing persons database at the time of her disappearance but claims the police didn’t enter the information into the system until September 2000. A friend of McKissick, Marleny Cruz was killed a year prior to McKissick. Cruz’s killer, James David Martin, was convicted in 2012 after a DNA match. Both victims lived within blocks of Martin and died in similar ways. Martin has been classified as a serial killer as he strangled three victims between 1989 and 2005. He is now a person of interest to the police in the killing of Laurie McKissick. McKissick’s mother is convinced he is her daughter’s killer. The day after Martin was charged in Cruz's murder, Yonkers police submitted DNA evidence collected from McKissick's body to the Westchester County Crime Lab in Valhalla for comparison. At the time, police told reporters that the results could take weeks, however, over 13 years have passed since the DNA was submitted and no charges have been brought. The results of that DNA test have never been made public if, in fact, it was conducted.

Additional Details:

The Yonkers Police Cold Case Unit is asking if there is anyone with any information in regards to this case that they should contact the Cold Case Unit at 914-377-7731.

Case Last Updated:

May 16, 2026