Saugerties, New York is reeling after the death of Elena Bonjolo, an 88 year old woman who was found outside an abandoned home in the West Camp area, and after police charged 15 year old Mark J. Wanchik II in connection with her killing.
Police say Bonjolo died from blunt impact injuries to the head and neck, and the case has now moved into Ulster County Youth Part Court.
The incident happened on Sunday, June 7, sometime between about 9:25 a.m. and 1:52 p.m.
Officers later found Bonjolo dead outside 25 John Shults Road, an abandoned residence about a mile from where she lived on West Camp Road. Police said the teen and Bonjolo knew each other, but were not related.
Police said they first learned about a possible homicide when the boy was brought to the station by family members.
After that, officers went to the abandoned property and found Bonjolo’s body outside.
The Saugerties Police Department later identified Wanchik by name and listed the charge as murder in the second degree.
A case that has stunned the community
The arrest quickly drew attention because of the ages involved and because Bonjolo was a longtime local resident.
Local reporting described her as a familiar face in the area, someone neighbors saw walking or jogging around town.
Her obituary remembered her as a mother, grandmother and longtime neighbor who wanted to be a good wife, a good mother and a good neighbor. She would have turned 89 on June 15.
Wanchik was arraigned in the Youth Part of Ulster County Court and ordered held without bail in a secure facility.
Court reporting says he pleaded not guilty. Police have not released a motive, and investigators have not said exactly what led to the killing or why Bonjolo was at the abandoned property.
The case remains active, with the Saugerties Police Department, New York State Police and the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office all involved.
The case has taken another layer of attention because the accused teen was identified by local media and police as an honor roll student in the Saugerties Central School District.
That detail has made the story even more difficult for people in town to process, since the person accused is a child while the victim was an elderly neighbor.
For many in Saugerties, the tragedy has become a painful reminder of how quickly a quiet day can turn into a homicide investigation.
Bonjolo was found outside an abandoned home in broad daylight hours, and the case now sits at the intersection of grief, anger and unanswered questions.
Police have not publicly explained what relationship, if any, the teen and Bonjolo had beyond knowing each other, and they have not said why the abandoned property became the scene of the killing.
What is clear is that an 88 year old woman is dead, a 15 year old is facing a murder charge, and a Hudson Valley community is still waiting for answers.
As the investigation continues, Bonjolo’s family is left mourning a woman who was known and loved in the area for decades.
