The site where Rita Tangredi's body was discovered

This is the location where Rita Tangredi's body was discovered.

On November 2nd, 1993, Tangredi's naked remains were discovered "half-buried" in a wooded area at Esplanade Drive in East Patchogue.

The 31-year-old sex worker had been strangled and beaten to death.

Tangredi's killer had strangled her, shattered her skull, spread her legs apart, and then positioned both of her arms above her head.

Notably, it appears as though he had taken her left shoe and underwear as a trophy.

Although there was alcohol in her stomach, the levels in her bloodstream were negligible. This led the medical examiner to conclude that she had consumed it very shortly before she was killed.

At the time, Esplanade Drive contained an abandoned housing development. According to the police, it was a popular place for sex workers to bring their clients.

The houses that exist today were not built until the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Detectives believe that Tangredi was murdered at this location, as parts of the ground were soaked in blood.

On the day of her disappearance, the 31-year-old was last seen walking along the Montauk Highway in East Patchogue, which is only two miles away.

More than two decades after her body was discovered, a familial DNA match linked 48-year-old Long Island resident John Bittrolff to the crime.

DNA evidence also linked him to the 1994 murder of Colleen McNamee.

According to forensic scientist Thomas Zaveski, tiny particles that resembled wood chips were found on the victim's body. The chips, which were no longer than a millimeter, looked like "specks" to the human eye.

This piece of evidence was particularly damaging to Bittrolff, as he had worked as a carpenter throughout his adult life.

During the trial, forensic scientist Robert Baumann testified that DNA samples found in Tangredi's fingernail clippings were a partial match with the accused. In his estimation, the profile was so similar that there was only a 1 in 608 quadrillion chance that it had come from someone else.

In addition to this, semen found on the victim's body was also found to be a match with Bittrolff.

On July 5th, 2017, Bittrolff was found guilty of both murders. Two months later, he received two consecutive 25-year-to-life sentences.

Photos

Photos of the site and other related images.

Newspaper report from May 27th, 1994

The victim was also known as Rita Tangredi-Beinlich. Newspapers reported that she was of "no known address."

The 31-year-old had been arrested for prostitution at the beginning of 1993.

At the time of her death, she had an 11-year-old son called Anthony Beller.

The police quickly realized that the murders of Tangredi and McNamee were connected. This is because the two sex workers had been murdered and then "posed" in an extremely similar fashion.

They were also missing their underwear and a left shoe—a sign that the killer may have taken them as trophies.

Detective John Gierasch expressed his belief that the killer might be responsible for the murder of Sandra Costilla. Costilla was found murdered and posed in a wooded area in North Sea, Southampton, in November of 1993.

Tangredi was last seen on Montauk Highway

Tangredi was last seen walking on Montauk Highway, which is just two miles from the location where her body was discovered.

It is likely that Bittrolff picked her up at this location and then immediately drove to Esplanade Drive, as it was a popular spot for sex workers and johns to "conduct business."

The stretch of road that she was last seen on is east of the intersection between Montauk Highway and East Patchogue Yaphank Road (Country Road 101).

Coordinates: 40.767487, -72.980177

Google Maps Link

Esplanade Drive

This Google Street View image of the entrance to Esplanade Drive was taken in November of 2019.

Since the late 1990s, more than 50 houses have been built in the area. Therefore, it is likely that it looks significantly different than it did in 1993.

According to the police, sex workers occasionally brought their "johns" to Esplanade Drive.

Tangredi's body was discovered by the driver of an all-terrain vehicle. At the time, the area contained a pathway that connected Country Road and Summit Street.

1980

This aerial photograph from 1980 gives us an idea of what the area looked like before it was developed. According to archived newspaper reports, locals used the pathways to cut between Country Road and Summit Street.