Murder of Minerliz Soriano

On February 28, 1999, the body of 13-year-old Minerliz "Minnie" Soriano was found bound and wrapped inside a garbage bag, dumped inside a garbage dumpster behind a video store in the Co-op City section of the Bronx, New York City. She had been strangled and sexually abused, and missing for three days after leaving her middle school. Her case went unsolved for twenty-two years until police, aided by advanced DNA technology, arrested a suspect in November 2021.

It was the first time in New York City that a case was solved using familial DNA analysis.

Investigation The key piece of evidence in the case was a semen stain found on Soriano's sweatshirt which was preserved since 1999. In 2019, the sample was run through the New York State convicted offender DNA database (CODIS) and linked the DNA to the suspect's deceased father.

Accused In 2021, New Rochelle resident Joseph Martinez was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder, for the sexual assault and strangulation of Soriano between February 24–28, 1999.

After a trial that lasted over a month, a Bronx court jury found Martinez guilty of Minerliz's murder on November 14, 2025. On March 26, 2026, Martinez was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.