QUEENS, N.Y. — A 75-year-old Queens man was arrested Wednesday on murder charges in the death of his 34-year-old wife, whose dismembered remains were discovered in two separate Queens parks months after he reported her missing, police said.
Rupchand Simboo of South Ozone Park is accused of killing Salisha Ali on July 13, 2025 — the same day he filed a missing person report claiming she had disappeared. Police now believe Simboo reported his wife missing to cover his tracks after allegedly murdering her in their shared home. The couple had married in 2024 after maintaining a long-distance relationship that began in 2023 when Ali lived in Trinidad. Despite their 41-year age difference, Ali moved to Queens to be with Simboo, and relatives said she was working at a restaurant while training to become a home health aide when she died.
The grisly discovery began on September 22, 2025, when Department of Sanitation workers found Ali’s dismembered torso in a garbage bag near 149th Avenue and Brookville Boulevard in Springfield Gardens, close to JFK Airport. The workers were conducting routine roadside cleanup when they detected a foul odor from the bag they had just loaded into their truck hopper, prompting them to alert police immediately. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the torso was found “about 100 feet south of the street” in brush near Idlewild Park. The victim’s head, arms and legs had been methodically removed using what investigators determined were “straight edge instruments, such as a knife” for soft tissue and “some sort of saw” for cutting through bone, Kenny told reporters. The medical examiner officially ruled Ali’s death a homicide on January 31, 2026.
Investigators were able to identify the remains through “several unique and identifiable tattoos” that included “three names and a flower,” Kenny said. The tattoos remained visible despite decomposition, providing crucial evidence for identification. Ali’s family in Trinidad grew concerned when she stopped making her daily phone calls to her mother and three daughters back home. However, relatives initially weren’t alarmed because “people who knew her in the US” said “they were seeing her about,” and the family thought “she wanted a break from the family,” according to a relative who spoke to the Trinidad Express. Ali was last seen alive during a FaceTime call with family members on July 13, 2025. Police used drones to canvas the area around the initial discovery site but found no additional remains at that time. The torso showed no obvious wounds or injuries, making it difficult to determine the exact cause of death, investigators said.
The case took another turn on March 5, 2026, when additional human remains confirmed to belong to Ali were discovered in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Broad Channel, Queens, around 10:30 p.m. The wildlife refuge location is about 10 miles from where the torso was found, suggesting the killer deliberately scattered body parts across multiple locations. Police conducted an extensive search of the marsh area and were able to retrieve other body parts during the operation. The discovery of Ali’s head at the second location confirmed the family’s worst fears and provided investigators with the final evidence needed to move forward with murder charges. Detectives had been building their case against Simboo for months, analyzing forensic evidence and establishing a timeline of events. Sources familiar with the investigation said Simboo had one prior arrest on record from October 2025 for a dispute at a restaurant, though details of that incident were not disclosed.
Simboo was charged Wednesday at the 116th Precinct stationhouse with murder in the second degree, obstructing governmental administration, and two counts of tampering with physical evidence. Police sources said the couple lived together in a modest two-family house on 135th Street in South Ozone Park, where investigators believe the murder took place. The exact motive for the killing has not been determined, and prosecutors have not released details about what may have led to the violence. Simboo’s arraignment in Queens Criminal Court was pending as of Wednesday evening. The case highlights the vulnerability of immigrants who may have limited support networks in the United States. Ali’s family received the heartbreaking news of her identification in October 2025, months after she had actually been killed. “We were shocked when we got the news. It is very horrific. This is something you would hear about in movies,” Ali’s relative told the Trinidad Express. “You never thought it would happen to our family.”
The investigation involved multiple city agencies and advanced forensic techniques to piece together the crime. The Medical Examiner’s office conducted extensive analysis to determine how Ali was dismembered and to confirm the identity of remains found at two separate locations spanning Queens. Detectives spent months building evidence against Simboo while publicly searching for Ali, who had been reported missing by both her husband and other family members. The case demonstrates the challenges investigators face when dealing with dismembered remains and the importance of identifying features like tattoos in solving such crimes. Police have not disclosed whether they recovered the weapons allegedly used in the dismemberment or provided details about how they connected Simboo to the crime scenes. The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, where Ali’s head was found, is a popular spot for birdwatching and nature walks, making the discovery particularly shocking to the local community.
Simboo remains in custody pending his arraignment, where he will formally hear the charges against him and enter a plea. If convicted of second-degree murder, he could face 25 years to life in prison. The case is expected to proceed through the Queens District Attorney’s office, though prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will seek additional charges or provide more details about the evidence against Simboo.
