The Chilling Murders Linked to Bodies Found on New York City Beaches

Between the energy of the streets and the nonstop hum of activity, New York City pulses with life. But beneath its vibrant exterior, the city holds a darker side.

Oxygen’s New York Homicide digs into the city’s most chilling murder cases, revealing the stories behind shocking slayings in the five boroughs. That includes investigations that started on or led to Big Apple beaches.

With Season 3 of New York Homicide now in full swing — airing new episodes on Saturdays at 9/8c p.m. — here’s a glimpse at six shocking cases that turned sandy beaches and shores into unsettling crime scenes.

A couple of these cases are being featured on the true crime series, but all of them left a mark on the city. 

Missing clubgoer’s torso washed up on Staten Island beach

In April of 1996, a dismembered body stuffed inside a box washed ashore on Oakwood Beach in Staten Island.

Seven months later, the New York City Medical Examiner’s office identified the body as Andre “Angel” Melendez, 26, who had gone missing in March, The New York Times reported.

Angel Melendez. Photo: Oxygen

The identification was made using dental X-rays, according to the same article. The case was determined to be a murder, with the cause of death being asphyxiation by smothering.

Investigators on the case learned that Melendez was originally from Colombia and known to be a regular in downtown Manhattan’s party scene, according to another New York Times report.

The case led detectives to a drug-fueled underground club scene and, eventually, to other denizens of it and to Melendez’s killers. 

Who killed Melendez — and why? The “Killer Club Kids” episode of New York Homicide, airing Saturday, February 15 at 9/8c p.m. on Oxygen, covers the gruesome story in full.

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