Authorities have charged Jhon Moises Chacaguasay-Ilbis, a 21-year-old Ecuadorian who entered the US illegally, with the murder of Joselyn Jhoana Toaquiza, also 21, in Syracuse, New York.
According to reports, the victim and the accused, who knew each other from elementary school in Ecuador, were seen entering an Airbnb rental property together on June 18. Later that day, Chacaguasay-Ilbis allegedly carried Toaquiza’s body to a nearby park, where he buried her in a shallow grave before fleeing back to Rockland County’s Spring Valley.
Toaquiza’s disappearance led to the discovery of her body days later after her family reported her missing. Chacaguasay-Ilbis turned himself in and has been charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse. During his arraignment, he claimed to have no recollection of the events due to intoxication.
BREAKING: A 21-year-old “migrant” from Ecuador allegedly suffocated a young woman on her 21st birthday and then dumped her body in a park in Syracuse, New York.
Jhon Moises Chacaguasay-Ilbis arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border last year, and like millions of other arrivals, simply… pic.twitter.com/9MGVuVvLRS [1]
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) June 27, 2024 [2]
Chacaguasay-Ilbis had been picked up by US Border Patrol agents in January 2023 after illegally crossing the border in El Paso, Texas. Due to space limitations, he was released into the US with a tracking device. The victim, Toaquiza, had immigrated to the US the previous year, with her immigration status remaining unclear.
Chacaguasay-Ilbis is currently being held without bail at the Onondaga County Justice Center and is scheduled for another court appearance on July 2.
This case follows another recent one involving a 21-year-old Turkish migrant, Sakir Akkan, who was arrested in Albany for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl [3] after threatening her with a metal pole. Akkan, too, had been previously stopped by US Border Patrol agents after crossing the border illegally but was released due to space constraints.