Clues Sought in New York Student's Rape, Death

New York Police are seeking clues in the brutal rape and slaying of a 24-year-old criminal justice student whose nude body was found near a Brooklyn street 14 miles from where she was last seen around 4 a.m. Saturday at The Falls, a bar in the SoHo section of the city.

The nature of the death of Imette St. Guillen, a graduate of the Boston Latin School, George Washington University and a graduate student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, touched off a massive investigation by the NYPD and a media storm in Boston and New York. The pretty and bright student apparently died a horrible death.

St. Guillen's body was found wrapped in a floral print bedspread or comforter like the kind used in many hotels, her hair had been crudely chopped off on one side, her hands and feet were bound with plastic ties, a tube sock had been stuffed in her mouth, and her entire face wrapped in packing tape, according to police sources.

An examination of her body revealed that she had been raped, sodomized and choked to death. She had bruises around her neck and police believe that she was either gang raped or violated with objects due to the wounds she suffered.

Widespread Investigation

Due to the nature of her torture, death and how her body was found, some observers believe the killer or killers may strike again, leaving coeds in the area concerned about their safety if they venture out into the city after dark.

One police source told the Boston Herald that the killer may be someone in the furniture moving business, since some of the items used to tie up St. Guillen's body were items used by movers -- packing tape, plastic ties, and blankets. No fingerprints were found on the packing tape, indicating the tape may have been applied with a wrapping tool like movers use, the source said.

Fake Cab Driver?
Police sketch

Meanwhile, New York police have released the sketch of a person they want to talk with in connection with the case. According to the New York Post, the sketch is of a man police believe was posing as a cab driver on Feb. 12 when he picked up a woman in New York, raped her and threw her out of the cab near the vacant lot where St. Guillen's body was found. The cab driver is described as in his 30s, Middle Eastern, with a dark complexion.

Also, investigators have been contacting hotels and motels to see if they can find bedspreads with the same floral pattern as the one used to wrap St. Guillen's body. A photo of the bedspread is posted on the America's Most Wanted Web site.

St. Guillen would have turned 25 years old this week, but instead of celebrating her birthday, her family was planning her funeral, a private service scheduled at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 4, in Jamaica Plain, Mass.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 800-577-TIPS. A reward has been offered for information.

See Also:
Piecing Together Her Final Hours
NYC Police Seek Clues in Student's Slaying
City Beauty Slain by Beast
Expert on Serial Killers Sees St. Guillen's Demise as Work of Sadistic Duo
$42,000 Reward Offered in St. Guillen Slaying
Local Coeds on Guard in Wake of Beauty's Murder
NYPD: Imette's Slayer Might Be a Mover

Background:
Profile of Imette St. Guillen