A 15-year-old murder case in New York City has finally been solved due to a discarded fork found in Florida. A significant milestone in forensic investigations of the case of Rosario Prestigiacomo has resulted in his own nephew, Anthony Scalici, being arrested for his murder. The 64-year-old was brutally murdered in his Queens home in 2009, and the case finally found a breakthrough with the innovative use of public genealogy databases. This is the first time such a method has been used in a New York City homicide case.
The tragic killing of Prestigiacomo deeply shook the Ridgewood neighborhood on February 10, 2009. When police arrived at the scene, they found Prestigiacomo’s lifeless body lying face down in a pool of blood in the hallway of his home. The walls and floor were stained with blood as well. Prestigiacomo was brutally stabbed 16 times and suffered from blunt force trauma. This brutal crime presented investigators with a crime scene and a complex investigation ahead.
During the initial investigation, crime scene detectives collected several blood samples from the location. While the medical examiner identified Prestigiacomo’s DNA, they also found a second, unknown DNA profile. This unknown DNA suggests that the attacker was also injured during the assault. Despite running this profile through various local, state, and national databases, no matches were found.
Years passed without substantial leads until March 2022, when the Queens district attorney’s office and the NYPD’s cold case unit decided to use the forensic genetic genealogy method. They collaborated with a private lab and the Department of Homeland Security to generate new leads. By mid-2023, the lab developed an advanced genealogical profile from the suspect’s blood found at the crime scene. The profile was then uploaded to public databases to construct a family tree of potential suspects.
This innovative approach yielded results in late 2023 when investigators received a promising lead pointing to Anthony Scalici, a 41-year-old Boynton Beach, Florida resident. Surveillance by the NYPD Cold Case Squad and Boynton Beach Police Department commenced, focusing on obtaining a discarded DNA sample from Scalici.
On February 17, 2024, detectives could finally solve the case. Unaware of the eyes on him, Scalici threw away a fork. This seemingly mundane act provided the crucial DNA sample needed for the investigation. Testing confirmed that the DNA profile from the fork matched the unknown profile from the crime scene, including DNA found under Prestigiacomo’s fingernails.
With this evidence, Scalici was arrested in Boynton Beach and extradited to New York earlier this month. He is now facing charges of second-degree murder. As of his arraignment on May 30, last Thursday, it remains unclear if he has entered a plea or secured legal representation. Authorities have yet to discover the motive behind the crime.
Solving the Rosario Prestigiacomo murder case has become a landmark moment for New York City’s law enforcement. It highlights the power of combining traditional detective techniques with cutting-edge forensic technology. The use of public genealogy databases in solving cold cases has opened new avenues for justice, bringing hope to more unresolved cases.
As the legal proceedings against Scalici continue, the family of Rosario Prestigiacomo and the Ridgewood community are one step closer to closure, thanks to the relentless efforts of the dedicated investigators and a discarded fork.
