NEW YORK — The body of a missing Stamford, Connecticut, man who was last seen attending a party in midtown Manhattan over the weekend was found in a suitcase in New Jersey, law enforcement sources confirmed to our media partners at PIX11.
The remains of Joseph Comunale, 26, were found in Oceanport in Monmouth County, New Jersey Wednesday. Law enforcement sources initially said the body was found in more than one suitcase and had been “chopped,” but later clarified that Comunale's body was not severed.
Comunale was last seen entering a luxury apartment at 418 E. 59th St. in New York at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. He had first arrived at the apartment on Saturday night with friends, though it's not clear why he left and returned at 7:30 a.m. No one saw him leave after that.
According to police, at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday the apartment owner requested a luggage cart, then rolled out two pieces of luggage. At the time, he asked the doorman how long the surveillance video was kept for.
Sources say the apartment is owned by the son of a famous New York jeweler who works with Hollywood stars. We are not releasing his name until charges are filed.
Tuesday, NYPD officials said they believed he may have been the victim of foul play after bloody rags and blood-stained clothing were found by Emergency Service Unit police dogs in the common area of the apartment. Authorities had said that they believed the items belonged to Comunale. The luggage cart was also found with blood on it.
Early Wednesday morning police received a tip of where Comunale's body was when a friend of the apartment owner went to the 17th Precinct and told officers they dumped their friend's body in a New Jersey marshland, sources say.
As of Wednesday evening, police were questioning two people, though police stopped short of calling them suspects. Earlier, police had said a person of interest had been taken into custody for questioning and was being held on an unrelated suspended license charge.
