KEY POINTS
- The old man was found with trauma to the face and the words “I touch little girls” on his chest
- A neighbour said there was noise in the man’s apartment during the early hours of Monday
- The man was previously arrested 24 times, but none were related to pedophilia
An 80-year-old man was found dead in the hallway of an apartment building in Staten Island, with the words “I touch little girls” written on his chest.
Local police identified the man as Robert Raynor, who was found shirtless and unresponsive at the apartment building along Corson Avenue and Jersey Street on Monday morning, CW affiliate WPIX reported.
The message "I take dolls in my room for girls age 1-5" was also written on his body, the report said. Authorities said it appears a black marker was used.
Authorities said that Raynor suffered trauma to the face, but the coroner is yet to release a cause of death. Neighbors told the outlet that Raynor had trouble getting around.
Speaking with the New York Post, neighbour Isaac Williams, who lives above Raynor’s unit, said there was noise in Raynor’s apartment early Monday. “Like people were wrestling or someone was throwing somebody around,” he said.
Williams added that when he went out in the morning, he saw Raynor in the first-floor hallway, arms above the head, appearing as if the shirtless man was dragged out. Williams said Raynor “could barely walk” and rarely stepped out of his unit.
Sources, according to the New York Post, revealed that while Raynor was arrested 24 times, none of the arrests were linked to pedophilia. His name does not appear in the online registry of sex offenders.
Police said Raynor lived with a niece and her two daughters, WNBC reported. He is the second person in the Tompkinsville area to die in less than a month.
Late last month, 23-year-old Francesco Gonzalez was shot in the face and died at the scene inside a house on Stanley Ave. near Pine St.
The New York Daily News reported that Gonzalez was sleeping with his girlfriend when he was shot, but the girlfriend was unhurt. Gonzalez has 13 arrests on his name, including robbery and a drug-related arrest. Local police said he was a member of the Original Stacks gang.
John Pena, boss of the Gorilla Stone Mafia gang, has been arrested in relation to Gonzalez’ shooting death and a previous killing in March.
As of late June, there have been 204 killings in New York City, compared to 180 during the first half of 2020.
An art installation along a street in New Dorp Beach, Staten Island, comments on the seemingly-interminable wait many residents face while funds from the government and insurance companies remain stalled. Photo: International Business Times / Cameron Barnes
