Two homeless men are charged with murder of homeless woman, 19, who was found wrapped in plastic in abandoned NYC fish market
Two men have been arrested after a 19-year-old homeless woman's body was found wrapped in plastic in an abandoned fish market now covered in graffiti in New York City.
Rosalee Sanchez was found around 9.20am on Saturday by on the second-floor staircase of the former Fulton Fish Market.
A homeless man has now admitted to beating and killing Sanchez, NYPD sources told the New York Post.
Austin Boehm, 25, confessed to killing Sanchez after he tried to check himself into the psychiatric ward at Bellevue Hospital on Saturday, sources told the outlet.
Boehm and a second suspect, 20-year-old Christian Mercado, were both hit with second-degree murder charges.
A 19-year-old homeless woman's body was found wrapped in plastic in an abandoned fish market now covered in graffiti in New York City
Crime Scene Unit investigators were on the scene after the teen's body was found inside
A 911 caller said his friend 'Zozo' took him to the scene to show him the Sanchez's body and named Boehm as the killer, sources told the Post on Sunday.
Law enforcement sources told AMNY that cops found Boehm and Mercado, who is also homeless, at the scene when they arrived on Saturday.
It was previously reported that the woman's boyfriend and friend called 911 when they found her.
It remains unclear how the suspects and 911 callers are connected to Sanchez and if they are the same people. An NYPD spokesperson would not confirm to DailyMail.com if Boehm and Mercado were the 911 callers.
Boehm and Mercado have been uncooperative with cops since they were arrested, source told the New York Daily News on Sunday.
Cops said there were no obvious signs of trauma on her body, the New York Daily News previously reported. Her body was transported to the Medical Examiner's office and an autopsy has been scheduled to determine how she died.
Cops said there were no obvious signs of trauma on the young woman's body after her corpse was found wrapped in plastic bags inside an abandoned fish market
Local residents said the homeless have taken over the building 'for years now' after a homeless teen's body was found inside
The woman may have been dead for several days before her body was found, sources told AMNY.
However, the Daily News reported that cops found a fresh pool of blood in an adjacent room.
The woman's boyfriend told cops she 'had been led' to the warehouse weeks ago but cops could not immediately verify if that was true, the Post reported.
On Saturday, cops did not consider her boyfriend a suspect, outlets reported.
Local residents told the outlet that homeless people have taken over the building 'for years now.'
The market, which would sell 125 million pounds of fish a year, was associated with at least one Mafia family throughout the 20th century and the U.S. Attorney's Office filed a lawsuit under federal racketeering laws to appoint a trustee In 1988.
In 1995, a fire destroyed one of the main buildings at the market just as former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's administration was about to take control of it, The New York Times reported.
The fire prompted officials to further investigate to determine if it had been caused by arson.
The Giuliani administration had asked the New York City Council to give it power to regulate the market and investigate its ties to organized crime, the outlet reported.
The City of New York's Business Integrity Commission has regulated the market since 2001 to prevent influence from crime families.
In November 2005, the once-bustling Fulton Fish Market relocated to a new facility in the Bronx after its 183-year tenure at the original site near the South Street Seaport in lower Manhattan.
The market's historic location was comprised of several buildings, including the city-owned New Market Building - where the body was found.
The market's historic location was comprised of several buildings, including the city-owned New Market Building - where the body was found
The New Market Building at the Fulton Fish Market was inaugurated by Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia in 1939
In November 2005, the once-bustling Fulton Fish Market relocated to a new facility in the Bronx
The market, which would sell 125 million pounds of fish a year, was associated with at least one Mafia family throughout the 20th century
In 2007, the Howard Hughes Corporation wanted to raze the buildings and redevelop the area
Fiorello LaGuardia, Mayor of New York City, poses with a 300-pound halibut at the Fulton Fish Market in 1939
The New Market Building was inaugurated by Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia in 1939, The New York Times reported.
In 2007, the Howard Hughes Corporation wanted to raze the buildings and redevelop the area, including the landmarked Tin Building, which was later renovated, and the adjoining New Market Building.
However, a man named Robert LaValva wanted to transform the buildings into a premiere public market, the outlet reported. LaValva's market opened in December 2007.
In 2011, the Howard Hughes Corporation offered to collaborate with LaValva. He turned them down, and eventually the New Market Building fell into ruin.
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