In 1982, This 19-Year-Old’s Remains Were Found Scattered Along A Long Island Highway After Attending A Rock Concert, And Her Case Has Remained Cold For Nearly 40 Years Now
In 1982, Tina Foglia of Brentwood, New York, was nineteen-years-old. Friends and family knew her as an adventurer, music enthusiast, and carefree lover of life.
And one of Tina’s most favored pastimes was frequenting the Long Island music scene. More specifically, the Hammerheads music club– a venue in West Islip that had become famous for launching cornerstone indie and alternative bands such as Zebra, Twisted Sisters, and Cintron.
So, the evening of January 31, 1982, started off not much different than any other weekend night.
Joseph Foglia, Tina’s father, remembers her leaving for the Hammerheads wearing black slacks, a white waist-length jacket, and brown suede shoes.
She was also set to see one of her friends perform in their band “Equinox.”
But, the Foglia family did not have an available car for Tina that evening. In turn, she was told to find a ride to the venue and back.
Tina did figure this out and arrived in time for the concert. Tragically, though, the last time she was ever seen alive was leaving the club at about 3:00 a.m. on Monday, February 1, 1982.
She never returned home that early morning or even the next day, and the Foglias reported Tina missing on Wednesday, February 3, 1982.
Facebook; pictured above is Tina
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Then, later that day, her partial remains were discovered by state highway workers who had been picking up trash.
Tina’s remains were scattered along a ramp from the Southern State Parkway to the Sagtikos State Parkway in various plastic bags.
Upon first glance, the workers had suspected the bags contained remains due to their shape. Then, as they got closer, their worst fears were confirmed after spotting human hair.
Authorities later added that Tina’s remains were found only a few miles north of the Robert Moses Causeway– a known route of the unidentified Long Island Serial Killer. There, the killer had dumped the remains of at least four victims– which consisted of dismembered limbs and torsos.
Nonetheless, officials disclosed that they were not actively pursuing a connection between Tina’s murder and the Long Island Serial Killer.
Instead, they shared an image with the press which showed Tina’s suspected murderer’s footprint left behind in the mud. Beside it was a diamond ring, which the nineteen-year-old often wore.
Four days after Tina’s remains were discovered, Suffolk County’s Chief Deputy Medical Examiner Michael Baden also found that she had died via asphyxia from smothering.
In turn, police believe that the killer’s motive was not theft or robbery. Instead, they think the killer’s motive was assault and a subsequent homicide in order to conceal their crime.
And the day after the Medical Examiner’s report was publicly released, an unnamed source close to the investigation told the press that Tina had been dismembered using a “more precise” instrument, such as a butcher’s knife instead of a regular knife or hatchet. Officials and the Medical Examiner denied commenting on that detail, though.
Amy Gagliardi, Tina’s sister, did reveal that Tina had met a doctor at Hammerheads shortly before her death. The two reportedly hit it off, saw each other a few times before her passing, and Tina really liked him.
But, according to Amy, investigators questioned numerous male friends of Tina’s as well as the band members who played the night she was killed.
And unfortunately, there have never been any breaks in the case. In a 2017 PIX 11 interview, police did state that Tina’s case would be a great candidate for forensic DNA familial searching since the DNA retrieved from the crime scene was not in CODIS.
Sadly, though, Tina’s case has still remained cold for nearly forty years now.
Her family has held onto Tina’s bright spirit and wonderful singing voice. They remember when Tina wanted to pursue music school to become a professional singer herself.
A Facebook page entitled Who Killed Tina Foglia? has also been created to share memories with Tina and any updates on her case.
Tina stood at five foot two, was one hundred and eighty-five pounds and had brown eyes.
If you have any information regarding her case, you are urged to contact the New York State Police Troop L, Bureau of Criminal Investigation at (631) 231-5962.
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