Seraphina Pereira, a 35-year-old Black woman and mother of four, was shot and killed on October 19, 2026, in the Edgemere neighborhood of Queens, New York. Her death became the focus of a homicide investigation after her body was discovered five days later, buried in a shallow grave at Rockaway Community Park. What initially appeared to be a troubling missing-person case developed into a murder investigation that ultimately led to the arrest of her boyfriend, Rogelio Lozano-Garita, the father of two of her children.
Pereira lived in the Ocean Bay Apartments, a New York City Housing Authority residential complex along Beach 54th Street in Far Rockaway. She had four children, ages 14, 12, 6, and 5, and was remembered by relatives as a devoted mother who worked to provide for her family despite financial challenges. She had previously been married, but her husband died in 2019. Pereira later became involved with Lozano-Garita, with whom she had two younger children.
According to her sister, Davonna Gray, Pereira had recently ended their relationship, but Lozano-Garita was unwilling to accept the separation. Although relatives were aware of difficulties in the relationship, Gray said her sister had never disclosed physical abuse.
According to allegations presented by the Queens District Attorney's Office, Pereira was killed during the early morning hours of October 19, 2026. Investigators determined that the shooting occurred sometime between 2:16 a.m. and 6:04 a.m. inside the apartment at 343 Beach 54th Street. Prosecutors allege that Lozano-Garita, then 26, shot Pereira in the head before attempting to conceal what had happened. The city's Office of Chief Medical Examiner subsequently determined that Pereira had sustained gunshot wounds to her head, neck, and torso and officially classified her death as a homicide.
Authorities allege that after the shooting, Lozano-Garita placed Pereira's body inside a pull wagon and transported it approximately half a mile to the beach area of Rockaway Community Park. Once there, he allegedly buried her remains in a shallow grave near Beach 58th Street and Almeda Avenue, not far from a cricket field. Prosecutors believe he then returned to the apartment without the wagon, leaving Pereira's body concealed in the park.
On October 21, two days after the alleged killing, Lozano-Garita called 911 to report Pereira missing. During his conversation with police, he claimed that someone had delivered a box containing Pereira's personal belongings to his apartment building. According to his account, the box included a note from a surfer who had supposedly discovered her belongings on the beach. Investigators later examined this account as part of their efforts to reconstruct the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
Meanwhile, Pereira's relatives became increasingly concerned. Family members and friends distributed missing-person flyers throughout the neighborhood, hoping someone had seen her or knew what had happened. Her sister, Davonna Gray, explained that the family considered several possibilities, including that Pereira might have disappeared voluntarily or been abducted. They initially did not believe she had been murdered. Relatives emphasized that Pereira was deeply attached to her children and would not ordinarily leave them without making arrangements for their care.
The search ended tragically on October 24, 2026. At approximately 9:42 p.m., officers searching Rockaway Community Park with an NYPD K-9 unit discovered human remains buried in a shallow grave near the waterfront. The body showed signs of decomposition, suggesting it had been there for several days. Investigators secured the surrounding area and began recovering evidence. The remains were subsequently identified as Pereira, confirming her family's worst fears. The medical examiner determined that her injuries resulted from gunfire, transforming the investigation into a confirmed homicide case.
As detectives continued investigating, attention turned toward Lozano-Garita. Investigators examined his statements, the circumstances surrounding the missing-person report, and evidence associated with the apartment and burial location. On October 26, police located and arrested him following investigative activity in the Ocean Bay Apartments neighborhood. Officers and hostage negotiators had previously responded to the residential complex while searching for a person believed to be connected to the case. Detectives subsequently conducted an extensive examination of the apartment, collecting and reviewing potential evidence.
On October 27, Lozano-Garita was escorted from the NYPD's 101st Precinct stationhouse in handcuffs. When reporters questioned him about Pereira's death, he maintained that he was innocent and denied killing her. His arrest prompted strong reactions from residents, some of whom expressed shock that such a violent crime could have occurred within their community. One neighbor recalled previously hearing banging and kicking at an apartment door, although the circumstances of those earlier disturbances were not established as part of the homicide allegations.
On October 28, 2026, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz formally announced that Lozano-Garita had been charged with second-degree murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, concealment of a human corpse, and tampering with physical evidence. Prosecutors accused him of deliberately killing Pereira and attempting to conceal the crime by transporting and burying her body before falsely reporting her disappearance. The district attorney described the allegations as a particularly disturbing act of violence against the mother of the defendant's children.
Lozano-Garita was arraigned before Queens Criminal Court Judge Thomas Wright-Fernandez on October 28. He pleaded not guilty, and the judge ordered him held without bail. A subsequent court appearance was scheduled for October 30. If convicted of the murder charge, he could face a sentence of up to 25 years to life in prison. Assistant District Attorney Eric Weinstein of the Queens District Attorney's Homicide Bureau was assigned to prosecute the case, with assistance from Assistant District Attorney Lindsey Ruzza. As of November 5, 2026, no trial verdict or conviction had been publicly reported, and the criminal proceedings remained pending.
Pereira's death devastated her family, particularly the children who were left without their mother. Her sister-in-law, Brenda Gorczynski, remembered her as a kind, fun-loving person who made the most of whatever resources she had. Relatives described a mother whose life centered on raising and protecting her children. Following her death, family members stepped forward to help care for them, attempting to maintain a sense of stability while they struggled with their grief. Her sister reported that the three younger children were staying with another aunt and that relatives were trying to preserve their normal routines, including attending school.
Family members also organized a candlelight vigil to honor Pereira's memory and bring the community together in mourning. Her death raised painful questions about the circumstances surrounding the breakdown of her relationship and whether the tragedy could have been prevented. Although investigators identified her former partner as the principal suspect, the precise motive had not been conclusively established in publicly released court records.
The killing of Seraphina Pereira left four children without their mother and deeply affected relatives and neighbors throughout Far Rockaway. What began as a family's desperate search for a missing loved one ended with the discovery of her body in a secluded section of a neighborhood park. With Rogelio Lozano-Garita arrested and facing multiple felony charges, the case entered the judicial process, where prosecutors would be required to prove their allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. For Pereira's family, the criminal proceedings represent an opportunity to seek accountability while preserving the memory of a mother whose life was taken in an act of violence.
