Sayville woman found dead in her home

A Sayville woman missing since Friday has been found dead in her home, Suffolk police said.

It was not immediately clear how Joia Gigante, 49, of Terry Street, died, police said.


“We are investigating the circumstances of her death,” said Dt. Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick, commanding officer of the homicide squad.

He would not say where in the house she had been found.

Fitzpatrick said an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday, adding her death does not appear to be due to medical reasons.

Gigante was last seen by her boyfriend. "She has since vanished under suspicious circumstances, leaving her residence without her personal belongings, money, keys, cell phone or car," the Suffolk police said in a statement




****I was in Sayville today shopping and there are "missing" signs all over town.

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

wasnt her house searched when she showed up missing??

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

yeah...i don't get it.

unless she was "returned" post mortem

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Posted by Lisa

wasnt her house searched when she showed up missing??

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

How can they say she was missing and then find her in the house????

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Gigante was last seen by her boyfriend. "She has since vanished under suspicious circumstances, leaving her residence without her personal belongings, money, keys, cell phone or car," the Suffolk police said in a statement


but she was found in her home???? this doesn't make any sense

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Posted by Marcie



How can they say she was missing and then find her in the house????

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

What This is sooo confusing

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Wow, this whole thing doesn't make sense. How sad.

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Posted by Marcie

Posted by JennZ


I dont know, but every store front in Sayville has "Missing" posters up looking for he. I think something is going to come up with the BF, something is def fishy.

Oh definitely

And not for nothing - 4 days rotting in the house - someone had to smell that.
The only thing I can think of is - I HATE to say it - but that she was in the dryer or in the car trunk or something like that.

for her family

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Posted by Marcie

Posted by JennZ


I dont know, but every store front in Sayville has "Missing" posters up looking for he. I think something is going to come up with the BF, something is def fishy.

Oh definitely

And not for nothing - 4 days rotting in the house - someone had to smell that.
The only thing I can think of is - I HATE to say it - but that she was in the dryer or in the car trunk or something like that.

for her family

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Posted by JennZ


Oh the dryer, I just visualized that and I guess there will be more tomorrow.

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Since she went missing on Friday, Joia Gigante's family and Suffolk County police tried desperately to find her -- posting fliers around town and circling the land and water near her Sayville home in boats and helicopters and with search dogs.

Their efforts came to an end Monday when the 49-year-old mother was found dead in her own home on Terry Street, police said.

Det. Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick, commanding officer of the Homicide Squad, declined to describe how she had died, but said that it "does not appear to be for medical reasons."

It was also unclear Monday whether the police had searched the home for her.

"We're investigating the circumstances of her death," Fitzpatrick said, adding that an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.

Shortly after Gigante's body was discovered, family and friends came outside crying, coughing and hugging one another. Officers put up yellow police tape, cordoning off a section of her block near the ferries to Fire Island. And officials from the county medical examiner's crime laboratory arrived.

"It's just a surprise," Joe Bolze, 67, a neighbor, said.

Fliers posted on a tree in front of her house and at surrounding businesses said Gigante had last been seen on Friday between 3:30 and 4 p.m. at the Sayville ferries. Fitzpatrick said her boyfriend came home that evening and called police when he couldn't locate her.

Police initially characterized her disappearance as "suspicious." She had left home without any money, her keys, cell phone or car. During the weekend, Fifth Precinct officers conducted a search of the surrounding area. Meanwhile, her live-in boyfriend went around posting fliers.

"Missing," the flier read in capital letters, above two photographs of Gigante -- one, smiling in a black dress on what looks like a special occasion; another, in a casual white hat in gold earrings and a necklace.

"It's very upsetting," said John Casey, owner of The Cull House, a restaurant at the end of Gigante's block, which had one of the fliers posted Monday morning. He said Gigante and her boyfriend had come in to eat on occasion. "It's incomprehensible," he said.

"Everyone's been on the lookout, but no one's seen anything," said Jay Van Essendelft, a worker down at the ferries, about a block away from Gigante's home. "We don't even know if she was ever here."

On Sunday evening, police put out a news release announcing her disappearance and asking for the public's assistance.

They said she was last seen wearing a red sweatshirt, black pants and white sneakers.

Bolze said Gigante had at least one son and had moved to the block about two years ago. She was often seen sitting on her front porch and would invite neighbors in to say hello, "like in the good old days."

He said she was outgoing and "just a fun person."

"She'll be missed," he said.






I have a feeling, the boyfriend is not going to walk away from this, he might be shady.

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Her "Live in boyfriend" ???

So he lived there and he couldn't find her???

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

This doesn't make sense. If she was missing, leaving her home without her belongings, doesn't that mean they searched the house? Now they found her in the house?

Something is definately fishy here. The poor family.

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Ladies....I dont really know a lot about what happened yet, but please say some prayers, she is the aunt of someone very close to my family and we had a very tearful call from her this morning about the article in the paper....

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Posted by IluvBo

This doesn't make sense. If she was missing, leaving her home without her belongings, doesn't that mean they searched the house? Now they found her in the house?

Something is definately fishy here. The poor family.

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Posted by Laura1

Ladies....I dont really know a lot about what happened yet, but please say some prayers, she is the aunt of someone very close to my family and we had a very tearful call from her this morning about the article in the paper....

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Posted by IluvBo

Posted by Laura1

Ladies....I dont really know a lot about what happened yet, but please say some prayers, she is the aunt of someone very close to my family and we had a very tearful call from her this morning about the article in the paper....

So sorry to hear this.

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

i bumped this bc i was wondering if anyone heard any updates on this story...

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

how horrible!

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

OMG how horrible, I read that she was missing, I live around the corner from her street, I saw all the posters and I'd hope they'd find her....her poor family

Re: Sayville woman found dead in her home

Posted by Lisa

wasnt her house searched when she showed up missing??