On Friday morning the body of an unidentified woman was found in the parking lot of the Birches apartment complex in Bay Shore. An autopsy report over the weekend revealed that it was Saundra Simonee, 59, an accomplished individual. Simonee was a lifelong singer who modeled in her youth and earned a pHd.
Simonee was also a regular at St. Dominick’s Roman Catholic church in Oyster Bay where her booming voice was a part of the choir. By friends and neighbors she was described as sweet, well poised, and charming.
“Sandra was a wonderful woman,” A neighbor told ABC news. “She had a beautiful voice, she adopted two children, and she was a wonderful mother.”
Upon arriving at the scene Suffolk County police were not able to identify Simonee. They were finally able to after an autopsy over the weekend. The mystery as to how the single mother and accomplished Soprano ended up wrapped in a pink blanket behind a dumpster in Bay Shore remains. Simonee lives on the North Shore in East Norwich.
Residents of the Birches were horrified by the grisly discovery. While they were used to crime in the area, a body is far removed from the usual vandalism and stolen car radios. Raymond Castro, a resident of the Birches, has repeatedly complained to management about installing surveillance cameras after multiple incidents at the apartment complex. After this discovery, Castro now feels it isn’t a safe place to live anymore.
The Suffolk County police department’s investigation of Simonee’s death is ongoing. Detectives are asking anyone with information on the tragic incident to call the Homicide Squad at 631-852-6392 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-Tips. All calls are kept confidential.
[Source: ABC]