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Missing Brooklyn Boy Found Dead, Dismembered
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 13, 2011
Modified Jul 14, 2011
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 13, 2011
Modified Jul 14, 2011
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After a frantic search involving thousands of people and a $100,000 reward for the return of a 9-year-old Hasidic boy who didn't return from day camp on Monday, police made a horrifying discovery: Half of Leiby Kleztky's body was found in a Kensington refrigerator, while the other half was found in a Greenwood Heights dumpster. Police have made one arrest and other in custody; Assemblyman Dov Hikind said, “It’s just a horror for every parent. I mean it’s just a tragedy today for everyone in New York.”
Leiby had been on his way back from the camp at 44th Street and 12th Avenue to Borough Park to meet his parents seven blocks away—at 50th Street and 13th Avenue— where they had a doctor's appointment. The Post reports that he got lost as he was "walking alone for the first time" and the Daily News says he "begged" his parents to let him walk by himself. Surveillance video showed him following a bearded man on 45th Street and Dahill Road.
The man was later driving in a gold, possibly Japanese-made car, but the cops weren't sure whether Leiby was in the car. According to the Post, "Police stormed a Kensington home just before 4 a.m. and arrested a 35-year-old man who told cops where to find the body, sources said. He is currently being held at the 67th Precinct... Investigators tracked him down by tracing credit-card purchases and through video surveillance footage."
The police found remains in a suitcase at a dumpster at 651 Fourth Ave., at 20th Street, and in the man's refrigerator in Kensington at Avenue C and East 2nd Street.
Hikind, other local politicians, and the Shomrim Patrol had contributed to a $100,000 reward for Leiby's return. Hikind said, "Whoever did this is sick beyond belief."
Update: The suspect has been identified as Levi Aron, 35, who police say made incriminating statements about the killing.
Tagged
brooklyn
dismemberment
dov hikind
Hasidic
leiby kletzky
murder
orthodox jew
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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