2 Charged In Gang-Related Killing of Nassau Teen: Police

UNIONDALE, NY — Nassau County police have charged two people with murder for the gang-related death of a Hempstead man whose body was found in the woods in Uniondale last year.

According to police, the body of 19-year-old Osmin Campos-Sandoval was found in a wooded area near the Uniondale Water Tower at 1:38 p.m. on Oct. 6, 2020. The area was located near Uniondale High School.

When the body was found, Nassau County police said Campos-Sandoval was killed in 2016 or 2017 as a result of MS-13 violence.

On Feb. 24, Nassau County police arrested Sandra Tobar Mejia, 22, of Cornell Street, Hempstead in connection with the murder. She was arraigned on Feb. 25.

Police arrested Christian Rodriguez, 23, of Surrey Lane, Hempstead, on March 9. Rodriguez is currently incarcerated in the Nassau County Jail.

Both Mejia and Rodriguez were charged with second-degree murder.

According to Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, Campos-Sandoval's body was found as police investigated MS-13 crimes in the area. Officers went back to the woods, which they had searched before, and investigated a different area based on new information. Campos-Sandoval's body was found with the help of a cadaver-sniffing dog from the New York State Police Department.

Ryder said Campos-Sandoval is the 16th victim of MS-13 in Nassau County. Five others have been found buried in graves around the county. Bodies have been found in the Massapequa Preserve and the Roosevelt Preserve.