Salisha Ali's remains were found months apart after she was last seen in July 2025
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- The discovery of a human head has led to the arrest of the victim’s husband
- A spokesperson for the New York Police Department identified the victim as 34-year-old Salisha Ali
- Ali’s husband, 75-year-old Rupchand Simboo, has been charged in connection with her death
A husband whose wife has been missing since July has been arrested after her decapitated head was found in New York.
Rupchand Simboo, 75, was arrested and charged in connection to the murder of his wife, 34-year-old Salisha Ali, on Wednesday, March 11, at approximately 10:25 a.m., a spokesperson for the New York Police Department confirmed to PEOPLE.
He was also charged with obstructing governmental administration and two counts of tampering with physical evidence.
Ali had not been seen alive since July 13, 2025, when she had a Facetime call with family members, ABC 7 NY reported.
On Sept. 22, 2025, sanitation workers discovered what they believed to be human remains in a garbage bag, CBS News reported. The NYPD confirmed to PEOPLE that it received a 911 call reporting possible human remains on that date.
Police officially ruled Ali's death a homicide on Jan. 31.
Around 10 p.m. on March 5, additional human remains belonging to Ali were found in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, an NYPD spokesperson told PEOPLE.
“NYPD officers are still on-scene investigating after human remains were found near the Wildlife Refuge late last night. Please be advised that there may be traffic in the area as the investigation continues,” New York City Councilwoman Joann Ariola said on March 6.
Employees at the wildlife refuge found the remains after noticing a foul odor during a roadside cleanup, per AM NY.
“It had several unique and identifiable tattoos which were visible and not decomposed,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told AM NY of Ali’s remains.
After consulting with a medical examiner, it is believed that Ali was killed using straight edge instruments, "such as a knife,” which “was used to cut through the soft tissue, and some sort of saw was used to cut through the bone,” Kenny said.
Ali's exact cause of death has not yet been determined.
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Ali was living in Trinidad when she and Simboo met in 2023, ABC 7 NY and AM NY reported. By 2024, the couple had married and Ali moved in with him into his home.
When she went missing in July, he contacted authorities to alert them, the local news outlets said.
It is not immediately known if Simboo has retained an attorney.
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