THE UNSOLVED MURDER OF MARISHA CHEONG
Queens, New York — December 19, 2012
At 24 years old, Marisha Cheong was working toward a future she had every reason to believe was still ahead of her.
She was studying business management at Long Island University and living in Jamaica, Queens, with her boyfriend.
Then, on December 19, 2012, something happened that would leave her family searching for answers for years.
THE LAST IMAGES OF MARISHA
Surveillance cameras captured Marisha leaving the apartment where she lived.
The footage contained one particularly disturbing detail.
An unidentified woman appeared to be leading or pulling Marisha away from the building.
After that moment, Marisha disappeared.
She would never be seen alive again.
Her family had no idea where she had been taken or what had happened to her.
Then came a message that only deepened their fear.
“MOM AM FINE”
Sometime after Marisha vanished, her mother received a text message from Marisha’s phone.
It read:
“Mom am fine.”
But instead of bringing relief, the message immediately felt wrong.
Marisha’s mother knew the way her daughter communicated. She normally called her “Mommy,” and the wording of this message did not sound like something Marisha would have written.
If Marisha was actually safe, why had she not called?
And if she was not the person who sent the message, who had her phone?
Those questions would remain unanswered.
NEARLY TWO MONTHS OF UNCERTAINTY
For almost two months, Marisha’s family lived without knowing what had happened to her.
There was no confirmed sighting that could explain where she had gone after leaving her home.
The woman seen with her on surveillance footage was never publicly identified.
And the person who sent the message from Marisha’s phone was never held accountable.
Then, on February 16, 2013, the mystery took a devastating turn.
MARISHA IS FOUND
Marisha’s body was discovered after washing ashore near Breezy Point in Queens.
She had been bound with green rope.
Her hands and feet were tied, and she had suffered severe injuries.
Her neck was broken, while multiple bones in her arms had been fractured.
Authorities determined that Marisha had been the victim of a homicide.
The search for a missing young woman had now become a murder investigation.
WHO TOOK MARISHA?
Investigators examined people connected to Marisha and those within her wider circle.
Among those considered was a female acquaintance of her boyfriend.
But despite the investigation, no one was ever arrested for Marisha’s murder.
The unidentified woman seen in the surveillance footage remained just that — unidentified.
The strange text sent from Marisha’s phone remained another unanswered piece of the case.
And there was still no explanation for why Marisha had been taken from her home.
MORE THAN A DECADE WITHOUT ANSWERS
Marisha was only 24 years old when her life was taken.
She had been studying, making plans, and building a future.
Instead, her family was left with a surveillance video, a disturbing text message, and a case that never reached a conclusion.
More than a decade later, the questions remain.
Who was the woman seen taking Marisha away?
Who had possession of Marisha’s phone when the message was sent?
What happened to Marisha between the time she disappeared and the day her body was found near Breezy Point?
And most importantly — who killed her?
Marisha Cheong’s murder remains unsolved.
Her family is still without the answers they have waited years to receive.
Anyone with information regarding the murder of Marisha Cheong is urged to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-8477.
This story is based on publicly available information and reported facts. It has been independently written and presented for informational purposes. Images, if any, belong to their respective owners.