Woman found dead, body burned, in Staten Island nature preserve

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - The NYPD has identified the woman who was found dead in a park on Staten Island on Sunday, November 25.

Two teenagers found the body of Yelena Rabkina, 30, in Long Pond Park, which is a 137-acre forever wild nature preserve, behind a school near Bartow Avenue and Eugene Street, police said.

The body was unclothed, partially decomposed, and had burn marks, police said.

Rabinka's family reported her missing earlier this month, according to the Staten Island Advance. A Facebook post with her photos and a plea for information about her has been circulating since November 23. In the post, Anastasia Vasilchuk wrote that Rabinka is her best friend and that she vanished on November 18.

"As much as I’m fighting tears back and refuse to believe that this wonderful soul is no longer with me, I must inform you that she has been found dead," she wrote in an update posted on Monday.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is working to determine the cause of death. 

With the Associated Press