Report: Stark DNA found in kidnap van
Published January 29, 2014
(JTA) — Traces of DNA of Brooklyn real estate developer Menachem Stark was found in a van seized by police in the investigation of his kidnapping and murder.
The discovery was reported late Tuesday by Newsday, citing an unnamed law enforcement source familiar with the case.
The 2002 van with Pennsylvania plates was confiscated by New York Police two weeks ago. Stark was seen in surveillance camera video being forced into the van after a struggle outside his office.
Police said it appeared that the van was thoroughly cleaned since the abduction. However, Stark’s DNA was found on the interior of the van, according to Newsday.
Stark’s body was found Jan. 3 in a dumpster on Long Island some 16 miles from his office in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Stark had been kidnapped the previous evening outside his office. He reportedly was suffocated before his body was placed in the dumpster outside a Great Neck gas station and burned, according to police.