Latest news with #JosephZoll
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Body found in Long Island pool suspected to be fugitive wanted in father's killing: police
Authorities believe the body found in a Long Island homeowner's pool could be a fugitive who had eluded capture for several months. An East Shoreham, New York, homeowner found a male body while opening his summer pool for the season at approximately 4:20 p.m. on May 25, the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) confirmed to Fox News Digital. Authorities said the unnamed homeowner was removing the protective cover from his swimming pool when he saw the body. The SCPD said the body belongs to 23-year-old Matthew Zoll, who was wanted after allegedly killing his father in November 2024. The Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the identity of the deceased and the cause of death. The SCPD confirmed that there is a strong possibility the body belongs to Zoll. The person found was not wearing shoes and was clothed in attire similar to what Zoll was last seen wearing. The property where the body was discovered is also located near the site of a single-vehicle crash involving Zoll on the night of the murder. Police alleged in a November press conference that Matthew stabbed his father, 61-year-old Joseph Zoll, to death at his father's Rocky Point, New York, home on Nov. 9, 2024. He then attempted to flee the scene in an SUV, but he crashed it near the East Shoreham home where the body was found. Police described Matthew Zoll as a White male, 6 feet 1 inch tall, 150 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Police have not revealed a motive in the 2024 slaying but have since searched for the 23-year-old suspect.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Family makes horrifying discovery while opening backyard pool for the summer
A New York family kicked off the summer season with horrifying discovery when they opened their backyard pool and found a dead body found floating in the water. The disturbing find occurred on Sunday afternoon ahead of the Memorial Day holiday in the Long Island neighborhood of East Shoreham, New York, according to the Suffolk County Police Department. The department's homicide squad is now investigating the body's identity and cause of death, including the possibility that the corpse belongs to a murder suspect who had been on the run. The suspect was Matthew Zoll, 23, who disappeared in November after allegedly killing his father. Matthew was accused of stabbing his father, Joseph, 61, in their Rocky Point home, which is about five miles from East Shoreham. Police said at the time Matthew fled the scene of the crime in a black GMC Yukon and ran away after crashing the car. The East Shoreham home is about a half-mile from where police believe Matthew crashed his car and fled on foot. There is a wooded lot behind the home that extends to the parkway where the crash occurred. Matthew Zoll, 23, disappeared last November after he was accused of stabbing his father, Joseph Zoll The shocking murder rocked the seaside Long Island community as authorities issued a massive manhunt for the alleged killer. US Marshals searched for the fugitive for weeks, combing a nearby 1,600-acre state park, but Matthew was never found. Police reported at the time that Matthew had schizophrenia and had gone missing last April. Joseph Koll had worked as a mail carrier and had 'lots of friends,' his neighbor Karen Diffley told the New York Post after his tragic death. Diffley told the publication that she heard someone faintly screaming 'help' the night of Joseph's murder, but assumed it was just the TV. 'I'm in shock. I'm totally in shock. He was a very nice man,' she added. 'If I needed help mowing the lawn he would lend us his lawn mower. Very quiet.' Another neighbor, Gavan Israel, described Joseph as a 'nice, quiet, soft-spoken guy,' adding, 'Joe had a problem with alcohol years ago but he cleaned up.' 'He was divorced. His wife moved to another town years ago. It was just him and his two sons. His older son, he was okay. 'Matthew, you could see immediately something was off because he was always looking down. He never really talked,' Israel continued. 'He had a problem a few months ago where he went missing because he went off of his medication. The local news did a story about it when [police were] looking for him. I'm guessing that's probably what this started with – a lack of meds.' The community was left with looming questions about what transpired before Joseph's death and where his son disappeared to. 'It was very strange... We all thought he just left town. Got on a train or a bus,' community member Sharon Healey told local NBC affiliate, WNBC. The Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office is working to determine the identity of the body found in the pool. reached out for an update on the investigation.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
LI cops probing whether corpse found in backyard pool is that of fugitive murder suspect who fatally stabbed father months earlier
A Long Island homeowner's summer kick-off took a horrifying turn Sunday evening after lifting the pool cover in their East Shoreham backyard — discovering a body that police are reportedly investigating as possibly being fugitive murder suspect Matthew Zoll. Sources said Suffolk County police are now looking to confirm the body as the suspected 23-year-old killer and investigate the cause of death, according to Newsday. Officials wouldn't confirm whether this is their leading theory, but said the Homicide Squad is actively investigating and that the Medical Examiner's office is performing an autopsy to determine the cause of death and confirm the victim's identity. 'We can't speculate any specific identity,' Suffolk cops told The Post. Zoll, who is reportedly schizophrenic, is the main suspect of a November murder where he allegedly stabbed his 61-year-old dad, postal worker Joseph Zoll, to death inside their home in Rocky Point. He then frantically fled the home, crashing his car on the William Floyd Parkway about 10 minutes after the alleged killing — leaving the totaled car and escaping on foot. US Marshals spent several days scouring the wooded areas off the parkway, including the 1,600-acre Brookhaven State Park, in an intense search for Zoll following the deadly crash — but ultimately came up short. The backyard where the body was found borders a wooded lot that runs behind four homes and leads straight to William Floyd Parkway. Sources claim cops now believe Zoll may have traveled about a half-a-mile to the backyard, where he could've tried hiding underneath the winter pool cover before dying of various causes including drowning, hypothermia, suffocation, and more, Newsday said.
CBS News
6 days ago
- CBS News
Long Island homeowner finds body in backyard swimming pool
A Long Island homeowner found a body in his backyard swimming pool as he was opening it for the season Sunday afternoon. The East Shoreham man rolled back the cover and made the shocking discovery. Suffolk County Police are investigating and say an autopsy is needed to determine the identity of the victim and cause of death. Neighbors are trying to make sense of it. "It's just so disturbing. You take your pool cover off and... I mean, what if there was young children around or the poor family?" neighbor Sharon Healey said. "I don't know why somebody would try to get under the cover, you know? I mean, it just is not a smart thing to do," neighbor Peter Gawrelek said. Investigators are working to determine if there's a connection to another mystery that led to a manhunt last fall in the same neighborhood. Matthew Zoll, 23, was wanted in connection to the stabbing death of his father, Joseph Zoll, in nearby Rocky Point. Police searched the area for weeks, but Matthew Zoll was never found.
