October 28, 2026 QUEENS, NY A frantic search for a missing 35-year-old mother of four ended in utter tragedy when police officers made a horrific discovery inside Rockaway Community Park.

At approximately 9:42 p.m. on October 24, law enforcement officers responded to a location near Beach 58th Street and Almeda Avenue. Buried in a shallow grave and showing signs of advanced decomposition, officers discovered the body of Seraphina Pereira. Medical examiners later confirmed that Pereira had suffered a single, fatal gunshot wound to the head.

The gruesome finding brought a devastating end to days of desperate searching by Pereira's family and friends, who had been blanketing local neighborhoods with missing person flyers day and night in hopes of her safe return.

Boyfriend Arrested After Leading Detectives to the Scene

In a startling turn of events, police took 26-year-old Rogelio Lozano-Garita into custody and charged him with Pereira's murder. Lozano-Garita is the father of two of Pereira’s four children.

The arrest came nearly a week after Lozano-Garita himself originally reported Pereira missing to authorities. According to sources close to the investigation, statements made by Lozano-Garita during routine questioning raised suspicions and ultimately provided detectives with the critical information needed to locate her hidden grave.

On Tuesday afternoon, detectives escorted a handcuffed Lozano-Garita from the 101st Precinct stationhouse as he was transported to court for arraignment. When pressed by reporters outside the precinct, he maintained his innocence, shouting, "I am innocent, I didn't kill her."

Serious Charges and Ongoing Investigation

Law enforcement officials have formally charged Lozano-Garita with:

• Murder

• Criminal Possession of a Weapon

• Concealment of a Human Corpse

• Tampering with Physical Evidence