Frank Sucie Jr. sent a desperate message out to appeal for help in locating his father. He drove across the country to search for him and arrived to learn his father was dead.
The man who allegedly smothered his mother’s boyfriend is awaiting arraignment in Queens Criminal Court.
Derrick Tudor, 27, is accused of suffocating Ridgewood resident Frank Soucie, who went missing over a week ago.
Soucie was last seen at the home he shared with long time girlfriend Stephanie Bernie at 1866 Putnam Avenue in Ridgewood on April 22. Authorities say the 60-year-old had left to go gambling at either Empire City or Atlantic City.
His girlfriend officially reported him missing on the 28th of April. In April 26th Soucie’s son Frank put up his father’s picture with the following desperate post on his Facebook page:
I Need Your Help!!! Please Share!!! My father is Frank L Soucie. He has been missing since Monday April 22nd. He is 60yrs old about 5’ 8” 180lbs. Average build with a bit of a beer belly. Balding Black hair, recently has grown a full bread that is brown in color. Last seen in Ridgewood, NY (Queens).
A missing person report has been filed but the NYPD basically said they are not gonna do anything. May have travelled by public transportation to the casino in Yonkers or Aqueduct Raceway.
Frank Sucie was found buried in the backyard of his girlfriends home after an intense search for him began last week.
He wears glasses and usually has a baseball cap on. Wears a fanny pack around his waist with a deerring hanging from the side.
If anyone has any information please contact the 104th precinct or myself. You can reach me via Facebook or at Fsoucie@gmail.com
But it was a much different post that the younger Soucie put up on Wednesday evening; this has been a very hard time on my family and me. I just want to thank everyone the help us out with the flyer on Facebook, all your thoughts and prayers. The NYPD for working so hard. I will inform those close to the family of funeral services when we are able to t plan them. Thank you
Now the Soucie family must begin the road back from his loss and deal with the prosecution of an extended family member in the murder.
Authorities say the relationship between the victim and Tudor was marked with frequent encounters. Soucie reportedly wanted Tudor out of the house. The alleged killer had done time in a treatment program for sex abuse after he was found to have fondled two female relatives both younger than 14.
On Tuesday a neighbor spotted Tudor disposing of a large garbage bag in a nearby dumpster. The neighbor decided to have a look and was alarmed by her discovery. Iliana Bratu told reporters that it was the way Tudor had thrown the bag and the way he left the scene that drove her to make further investigation.
The woman pried open the bag with a stick and found clothing and a burned sleeping bag.
Meanwhile other neighbors said the noticed a mound of freshly turned dirt in the yard at the house on Putnam Avenue and called police. Investigators at the scene unearthed the bag buried in the shallow ditch and made a grisly discovery.
A dismembered body was in the bag. The Medical Examiner’s office said they would be performing a complete autopsy but that the initial cause of death was believed to be suffocation, after Tudor made a statement confessing to the crime.
Police say the killer was weeping uncontrollably as he recounted his story.
By Patricia Adams
