5 people in New York charged after allegedly torturing, killing transgender man
Five people have been arrested in New York and charged in connection with the disappearance and murder of a 24-year-old transgender man from Minnesota, who police say was tortured and abused for weeks before his death.
New York State Police launched a missing persons investigation for Sam Nordquist on Feb. 9, following a welfare check request from his family, Friday.
Human remains believed to be those of Nordquist were discovered on Feb. 13 in a field in Yates County, about 50 miles southeast of Rochester.
Law enforcement officials then discovered evidence suggesting that Nordquist 鈥渨as subjected to ongoing physical abuse鈥� between December 2024 and February 2025, according to the release.
鈥淪am was subjected to repeated acts of violence and torture in a manner that ultimately led to his death,鈥� Capt. Kelly Swift with the New York State Police said at .
His body was moved 鈥渋n an attempt to conceal the crime,鈥� Swift added.
Swift described the case as 鈥渙ne of the most horrific crimes鈥� she has ever investigated in her 20-year law enforcement career.
Five people, ranging in age from 19 to 38, have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder with depraved indifference, according to the release. Police identified the suspects as Precious Arzuaga, 38; Jennifer A. Quijano, 30; Kyle Sage, 33; Patrick A. Goodwin, 30; and Emily Motyka, 19.
Investigators are still working to understand the relationships between the five suspects and Nordquist, according to Swift.
CNN has reached out to the attorneys of the suspects for comment. Attorneys for Quijano and Goodwin told CNN they had no comment.
The suspects were arraigned Friday morning and are being held at the Ontario County Jail without bail, Ontario County District Attorney James Ritts said at the news conference.
Each suspect could face anywhere from 15 years to life in prison if convicted, Ritts said.
Nordquist 鈥渉ad a heart of gold and wouldn鈥檛 hurt anybody,鈥� his mother, Linda Nordquist, told .
She described her son as an animal lover who worked at a home for vulnerable adults, according to KARE. He lived with his mother in Oakdale, Minnesota.
The Monroe County Medical Examiner鈥檚 Office will perform an autopsy to determine how Nordquist died, according to New York State Police.
Nordquist traveled to New York in September to meet an 鈥渙nline girlfriend,鈥� according to set up by his family. Nordquist鈥檚 friends and family hadn鈥檛 heard from him since Jan. 1, according to the fundraiser.
Investigators haven鈥檛 ruled out classifying the murder as a hate crime or making additional arrests, Swift said Friday.
鈥淭he facts and the circumstances of this crime are beyond depraved,鈥� Ritts said. 鈥淣o human being should have to endure what Sam endured.鈥�
In 2023, there were 35 homicides of 鈥渢ransgender or gender-expansive people,鈥� according to .
Several Rochester City Council members expressed their condolences to Nordquist鈥檚 family and their support for the transgender community .
鈥淥ur Trans and LGBTQIA+ residents are, and have always been, integral to the fabric of our communities,鈥� reads the release from council members Mary Lupien, Stanley Martin, and Kim Smith.