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From the front steps of his Westover Road home, Pat Comunale thanked police in Stamford, New York City and New Jersey for their work late Wednesday after he had identified the body of his son, Joey Comunale, the Stamford Advocate said.
Joey Comunale of Stamford was last seen entering a luxury apartment at East 59th Street near First Avenue in Manhattan early Sunday morning for a party, according to the New York Daily News.
The Daily Mail reported Wednesday that blood was found on a luggage cart belonging to a resident of the building, and that a pair of pants belonging to Comunale and bloody sheets were found in a garbage bag nearby.
Police found Comunale's body buried in a shallow grave in Oceanport, N.J., Wednesday morning on a tip from a partygoer, according to the New York Post.
Police were questioning James Rackover — the son of jeweler to the stars Jeffrey Rackover — in connection with the homicide, which they believe occurred in his third-floor apartment, according to the New York Daily News.
Comunale was a 2008 graduate of Westhill High School and a 2012 graduate of Hofstra University. He worked as a sales associate at Tri-Ed in Elmsford, N.Y.
Many of his heartbroken friends took to Facebook to remember Comunale.
"Joey Comunale was never one to have a bad day, I can't recall one time ever seeing him upset with anything or anyone," said one post. "Always great to be around, carrying an upbeat and positive demeanor. All and all Joey was just someone you always wanted to hang around with. To hear the news of his passing is simply devastating."
Another post said, "It's with a heavy heart we say good-bye to you, Joey Comunale. You were always smiling, eager to make those around do the same. You changed countless lives, your brothers, your family, your friends, in ways that will carry on. The world will mourn a beautiful soul & pray for justice as you rest in peace."
Click here to read the New York Post article. Click here to read the Daily Mail article. Click here to read the New York Daily News story. Click here to read the Stamford Advocate story.
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