Episode 88 DOE: ID 'Queens Backyard John Doe' George Seitz

In 2019, a woman called into Queens PD with a tip. She recalled that as a child in the late 1970's, she believed that her and her mom had witnessed her mom's then-boyfriend, Martin Motta, clean up, and cover up a murder he had committed in his barber shop, before dismembering his victim's remains to dispose of them. Although the witness couldn't provide exact details and dates, police took her seriously. She told police that some of the remains were likely buried in on the property she lived in as a child. Police wasted no time searching the area, and were able to recover human remains exactly where the tipster told them they would find them. And just as she had indicated, there was evidence that the victim; a man, had been dismembered. 

Although police had a murder victim on their hands, they didn't know who he was, so they turned to genealogy to identify the victim. It turned out that he was a WW1 veteran named George Clarence Seitz. The 81 year old had been reported missing after going out for a haircut in 1976 and he never returned. Unfortunately, George Seitz was able to survive a war, but he didn't survive a trip to Martin Motta's barber shop. He was killed for the large amount of cash he carried with him. Martin Motta was tried and convicted for Seitz's murder and sent to prison. 

'Queens Backyard John Doe' now has his name back; it's George Seitz, and this is his story. 

 

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