On Saturday, October 14, 2023, a teenager who had been missing since August was discovered dead in the woods of Rochester, New York. The discovery has led to a homicide investigation.
Jakarah Lopez-Moore, 16, was last seen on August 27 and was officially reported missing two days later. Witnesses fishing in the area found her body nearly two months later behind a recycling facility in Rochester.
The body exhibited signs of decomposition, suggesting it had been in the woods for an extended period. The Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the remains as Lopez-Moore’s and ruled her death a homicide.
Frank Umbrino of the Rochester Police Department indicated that Lopez-Moore had voluntarily left her home at around 1:45 a.m. on August 27. Her extended absence is what triggered the missing person report. One of her Facebook accounts showed activity just a day before she was last seen.
Following the news of her passing, Lopez-Moore’s mother shared a touching tribute on social media. The post read, “You were always too big for this earth! That’s why God wanted you back! I just wish I got to spend just a little more time with you.”
Other tributes shed light on the teenager’s life. A woman named Kita Herring, who had previously worked with Lopez-Moore, wrote, “Maybe you trusted me because I know how it feels to have no one/had to take care of myself at a very young age, like you. Maybe because we were both a little screwed up in the head then that’s why I could get through to you.”
The investigation into Lopez-Moore’s death remains ongoing. The Rochester Police Department has appealed to the public for information that might assist the investigation.
