Reyna Marroquín: The Woman in the Barrel – A 30-Year Mystery Solved by DNA

In the summer of 1999, a man exploring the, basement of his newly purchased home in Jericho, Long Island, stumbled upon a horror no one should ever witness. Behind dusty boxes and forgotten junk sat a sealed 55-gallon plastic drum. When he pried it open, the air filled with the stench of death—and a nightmare frozen in time. Inside was the mummified body of a woman, preserved in chemicals, wrapped tightly in plastic as if silenced mid-scream. The discovery cracked open a 30-year-old cold case, leading investigators to Reyna Marroquín—a 28-year-old Salvadoran immigrant, eight months pregnant, whose American dream ended in betrayal and murder. Her boss and secret lover, Howard Elkins, had killed her, sealed her in the barrel, and buried her beneath his home’s foundation. DNA evidence finally closed the circle in 2001, but justice came too late—Elkins took his own life as the truth closed in. Reyna’s story is a haunting testament to resilience, science, and the unyielding demand for truth, even after decades in the dark.

The Discovery: A Basement’s Dark Secret

In July 1999, the new homeowner of 10 Meadow Lane in Jericho, New York—a quiet, affluent suburb on Long Island—was clearing out the basement when he noticed the blue plastic drum wedged beneath the crawl space. Sealed with industrial tape and filled with a foul odor, it had been hidden there since at least 1969, when the previous owners, Howard and Kathy Elkins, lived in the home. Inside, wrapped in layers of plastic and submerged in a chemical preservative (likely formaldehyde or a similar embalming agent), was the body of a woman, curled in the fetal position, her face contorted in what appeared to be a silent scream.

Nassau County police were called. The barrel, a type used in plastics manufacturing, contained no water—just the woman and the chemicals that had mummified her over three decades. Dental records and fingerprints were useless; the body was too well-preserved in a way that defied typical decomposition. The case was immediately recognized as a homicide, and the drum was traced to a Long Island factory—setting off a chain of events that would finally give a name to the woman in the barrel.

Reyna Marroquín: A Dream Cut Short

Reyna Marroquín was born in El Salvador in 1941. At 27, she left her war-torn homeland for New York City in 1968, seeking opportunity. Fluent in Spanish and learning English, she found work at a small plastics factory in Hicksville, Long Island, where she operated machinery and assembled products. Described by coworkers as kind, hardworking, and hopeful, Reyna dreamed of bringing her family to America. She rented a room in Queens and sent money home, her life a quiet rhythm of work and aspiration.

But in early 1969, everything changed. Reyna began an affair with her married boss, Howard Elkins, a 43-year-old businessman with a wife, Kathy, and two children. When Reyna discovered she was pregnant—eight months along by September 1969—she confronted Elkins, hoping he would support her. Instead, he panicked. On September 10, 1969, Reyna vanished. Her last known action was calling Elkins from a payphone, threatening to tell his wife. She was never seen alive again.

The Murder and the Cover-Up

Investigators believe Elkins lured Reyna to his home under the pretense of discussion. There, in a fit of rage or calculated fear, he bludgeoned her to death—likely with a blunt object, though the chemical preservation obscured exact cause. He then folded her body into the fetal position, wrapped it in plastic, and submerged it in a barrel filled with industrial preservatives from his factory. The drum was sealed, wheeled into the crawl space, and buried beneath a concrete slab poured over it—a final act of erasure.

Elkins sold the house in 1970, moving to Florida with his family. He never spoke of Reyna. For 30 years, her disappearance was a mystery in El Salvador and a cold case in New York. Her family assumed she had been lost to the streets or deported. No one connected the dots—until the barrel was opened.

The Investigation: DNA and a Suicide

The 1999 discovery reignited the case. Detective Lt. Richard P. Stark of the Nassau County Homicide Squad led the effort. The barrel’s serial number traced to Elkins’ factory. A search of missing persons reports uncovered Reyna’s 1969 case. But proof was needed.

In 2000, mitochondrial DNA from the fetus was compared to samples from Reyna’s family in El Salvador. It was a match. The child was hers—and, crucially, paternity testing linked the fetus to Howard Elkins. Now 73 and living in Boca Raton, Florida, Elkins was confronted by police in 2001. As they closed in, he shot himself in his car, leaving a suicide note confessing to the murder but claiming it was an accident during an argument.

Kathy Elkins, his widow, was stunned. She had no idea the woman in the barrel was her husband’s lover—or that he had buried her beneath their home.

Legacy and Lessons

Reyna’s body was returned to El Salvador in 2002. Her son, never born, was buried with her. A memorial in Jericho honors her memory. The case, featured on Cold Case Files and Forensic Files, showcased DNA’s power in solving decades-old crimes.

Lessons include:

• Science as Justice: Like dendrochronology’s timelines, DNA gave Reyna a voice.

• Immigrant Vulnerability: Her story echoes the risks faced by newcomers.

• Truth’s Persistence: Like the Moors’ legacy, some secrets refuse to stay buried.

A Voice from the Barrel

Reyna Marroquín waited 30 years in silence, her body preserved in chemicals, her story sealed in plastic. In 1999, a homeowner’s curiosity and modern forensics brought her justice—too late for life, but not for truth. Like the lithopedion’s endurance or the black cat of Emperor Uda’s mystique, her tragedy reminds us: some voices, though silenced, will not be forgotten.