Murder on the Motor Parkway!
On August 5, 1933, a body was found near the western terminus of the Motor Parkway in Fresh Meadows.
It was, Murder on the Motor Parkway!
This Daily News photo from the Al Velocci archives and accompanying August 6, 1933 New York Times article detail the discovery of a body near North Hempstead Turnpike Motor Parkway bridge in Fresh Meadows.
Greg O.
The photo details the area and roads surrounding where the body was found in Fresh Meadows with the 'A' denoting the exact spot where the body was discovered.
The photo with caption as it appeared in the Daily News.
New York Times: August 6, 1933
"With a bullet hole through the heart, and another just a few inches above it, the body of Henry F. Sanborn, General Eastern Agent of the St. Louis San Francisco Railroad, and a son of the late United States Circuit Judge Walter Henry Sanborn of St. Paul, Minn., was found yesterday in a woodland in Queens near where the Long Island Motor Parkway crosses the North Hempstead Turnpike."
The article goes on to say the Railroad Agent had been missing since July 17th. Unable to deduce a motive, Sanborn was found with checks and $533 in cash possibly suggesting this was a targeted murder and not a random robbery.
Very few clues in the case, but determined police tracked down every possible motive and how the large man's body was brought to the spot.
Interesting, unrelated tidbit in the last paragraph describing a 'sawmill on the Motor Parkway side'. Al V., Howard and myself were unaware of any sawmill in that vicinity.
'Berry pickers find body'
Anton Hormann Sr., and son Anton Jr. were berry picking in the area and found Sanborn's body.
'...the autopsy disclosed two bullet wounds through the chest and back'
The motive for the killing, nor the killer(s) were never found.
Blogger Tom Parks goes into much greater detail of this murder that is still unsolved to this day.
Brooklyn Eagle; Aug 6, 1933
The Brooklyn Eagle did not provide any additional information, but did display a crudely drawn map of the area of discovery.
Comments
Interesting police drama - look for similar posts in the near future on Kleiner’s Korner!
Love this since I explored that area extensively as a kid. It’s always helpful though to have the names of the streets as they are now called in order to pinpoint locations even better.
Maybe you guys could solve this as a cold case and win a Pulitzer.
I love reading true crime! I figure this happened in the area of St Francis prep/or across Francis Lewis Blvd and a little south of the school, in the park area.
I have to correct myself, “north Hempstead tpk “ is 73ave as you can see the motor parkway bridge crossing over, the body would’ve been found south of 73ave & east of the motor parkway most likely where present day Francis Lewis Blvd is.
Though with out hard evidence, the Sawmill may have been linked to the Wheeler Brothers that owned land near the parkway.
It’ll be 2024 tomorrow, Happy New Year All!
James, Eddie Murray - the newspaper aerial indicate body location “X” just north of today’s 67Av and just feet east off the Motor Pkwy, in the wooded area beyond the parkway posts (red circle below). This area is the beginning of the ascent towards the 73Av (Black Stump Rd) bridge located just to the south. The North Hemp Tpke bridge doesn’t exist anymore
A safe and healthy 2024 to all!