New York State Missing Persons
Missing and Never Forgotten
Ivy L. Mantell ** Yonkers, New York * June 9, 2011
** Police seek missing Yonkers woman
11:42 PM, Jul. 29, 2011
YONKERS — A 58-year-old woman with a history of depression is missing, police said.
Ivy L. Mantell, who lived at a homeless shelter at 1 Hudson St., has not been seen by her family since June 9, Yonkers Lt. Patrick McCormack said.
She was last seen at Ferncliff Manor, a residential school for children with developmental disabilities, located at 1154 Saw Mill River Road.
Mantell's sister reported her missing on July 16.
She has been officially added to the state and national repository of missing people, McCormack said.
Mantell is described as Hispanic, standing 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 110 pounds.
She has a scar above her eyebrow and nose and does not wear glasses.
Anyone with information should call Police Officer Wisker of Yonkers Police Department is 914-377-7299
http://www.lohud.com/article/20110730/NEWS02/107300328/Police-seek-...|newswell|text|News|s
Tags: Ferncliff Manor, Ivy L. Mantell, NY, New York, New York City, Yonkers, disappeared, missing
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brenda on -
Yonkers detectives look into 'sad story' of Ivy Mantell's year-old disappearance
Yonkers mom lived for her son
12:58 AM, Jun 12, 2012Written by
Will David
YONKERS — The burden of being a single mom to a child with autism took a toll on Ivy Lynn Mantell, but she lived for her son, Taylor, and would never have left him, say those who knew her best.
Even later, after alcoholism, homelessness and abuse by the men in her life became the daily reality for the former executive secretary, she never lost touch with those who cared about her.
Still, family members watched her struggles, helping when they could but unable to reverse the spiral her life had taken until the one day last year when she just disappeared.
“Ivy was a sweet person,” her mother, Blanche “Sonnie” Irizarry, said. “Ivy didn’t know the first thing about the street.”
Mantell, who walked with a cane, was last seen alive in Getty Square in Yonkers on June 9, 2011. Her family reported her disappearance, and Yonkers detectives charged with finding missing people searched unsuccessfully for her.
“Part of our investigation is to determine if she met with foul play,” said Yonkers Detective Lt. Joseph Monaco, commander of the Major Case Squad.
The case was recently turned over to the department’s Cold Case Unit.
“We don’t believe that she is alive,” Cold Case Detective John Geiss told The Journal News.
Mantell’s family members fear she is a victim of foul play.
“Absolutely, there is no doubt in my mind she was met by foul play,” said Laura Castillo, Mantell’s cousin, a retired Westchester County police communications operator who lives in Florida.
“She did not have the means to transport herself somewhere else,” said Castillo. “She never was out of touch with all of us. No matter what was going on with my cousin, someone has always had some type of contact with Ivy. There is no way in the world that some harm did not come to her in some form.”
Ivy Mantell’s family is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to her being found.
Mantell, 59, was a petite woman, 5-foot-3 and 110 pounds. At the time she went missing, she was in poor health.
Social service cards and a free cellphone given to her have not been used since her disappearance, and she had no money, Geiss said.
Police and family agree that Mantell was devoted to her autistic son, Taylor Christian, now 20.
“We feel that with everything Ivy went through, she would not leave her son,” Geiss said.
Mitchell, born and raised in the Bronx, attended high school there.
As an adult, she lived in Pelham and Hastings-on-Hudson. She worked for an insurance company and a newspaper before landing a job as an executive secretary with J.C. Penney in New York City.
Taylor is a child from Mantell’s second marriage, to Gary Mantell. After Taylor was born, Mantell quit her job to care for him, said her sister Corinne Conrad, 54, of Queens.
“She put her life on the shelf for her son,” Conrad said. “My sister did everything in her power to take care of her son.”
After the couple divorced, Mantell received only child support and tried to care for Taylor on her own, her family said, though they helped her financially after she was turned down for social service assistance.
But when he was 5, Taylor was taken away by social services and placed in Ferncliff Manor in Yonkers.
Mantell began to drink. She slipped into alcoholism and soon found herself homeless.
“It wore her down,” said her mother, who lives in Ossining.
Mantell, once an attractive woman, now looked like a ghost of herself, say those who knew her.
She opted to live in a local shelter rather than stay with a sister in Queens, fearing she would lose her rights to Taylor if she left the county, Conrad said.
About two years ago she began to use the Sharing Community facilities in Getty Square. Executive Director Rob Zopf said she stayed there between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. for emergency shelter. She left the shelter in the evenings and lived on the streets of Yonkers, police said.
At some point she met Edwin Goetschel, another homeless person, at a Yonkers bus stop, and the two began dating.
Her family said he abused her, a charge his criminal record supports.
On July 4, 2010, in the Getty Square area, Goetschel beat Mantell, Yonkers Detective Lt. Patrick McCormack said. He punched her in the head several times, bruising her right eye and bloodying her lips.
Goetschel was arrested and pleaded guilty on Oct. 4, 2010, to criminal contempt, third-degree assault, menacing, harassment, obstruction of governmental administration and resisting arrest, McCormack said.
Goetschel was sentenced in November 2010 to four months in jail. He could not be reached for comment.
“My sister was not a fighter,” said Conrad. “She was a homebody.”
Another man Mantell met at the Sharing Community also took her money, Conrad said. Mantell had given him her benefit card and money to buy things for her because she had trouble walking.
“My sister was used by everyone,” Conrad said.
Mantell was struck by a car two years ago in White Plains and was hospitalized.
After Goetschel got out of jail, she reunited with him, and the two were living together in abandoned buildings, police and her family say.
“Over the past year, we have expended resources and investigative efforts in an attempt to locate as well as determine the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Ms. Ivy Mantell,” Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Gardner said.
Between March and May of this year, Yonkers detectives, with the assistance of a Clarkstown Police Department cadaver dog, searched buildings at 78-80 Warburton Ave., a wooded area by the Hudson River south of Water Grant Street, abandoned buildings in Larkin Plaza and the area around Babcock Avenue bridge where she was known to live.
“We haven’t had any success,” Geiss said. “I just want to be able to give the family some answers.”
The Cold Case Squad has registered Mantell’s name with the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program.
She is also on a New York state missing-persons list, and her DNA has been enrolled in a national criminal justice databank.
“It is really a sad story,” said her sister Charisse Corsano, 56, of Somers.
While family members accept that Mantell is likely not alive, Taylor cannot comprehend the idea, they say.
Conrad said that when she picks him up, Taylor remarks, “‘Let’s go find Ivy.’ I don’t know if he knows that Ivy is not with us any longer.”
http://www.lohud.com/article/20120612/NEWS02/306120061/Yonkers-dete...
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Permalink Reply by Brenda on
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Yonkers police divers search Hudson for missing woman
6:26 PM, Jun 28, 2012Written by
Will David
YONKERS — Police divers searched the Hudson River near the train station today after receiving a tip in connection with the investigation of a missing 59-year-old woman.
Police received the tip from someone who read a recent article about Ivy Lynn Mantell in The Journal News.
Ivy Lynn Mantell, a 5-foot-3 woman weighing 110 pounds, was in poor health when she went missing in Getty Square on June 9, 2011. Her family reported her disappearance, and Yonkers detectives charged with finding missing people searched unsuccessfully for her.
The case was recently turned over to the department's Cold Case Unit.
"We don't believe that she is alive," Cold Case Detective John Geiss recently told The Journal News.
Mantell's family members fear she is a victim of foul play. The family is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to her being found.
Police recovered a shopping cart and some clothing from the Hudson, but do not know if they belonged to the missing woman.
Police and family agree that Mantell was devoted to her autistic son, Taylor Christian, now 20.
http://www.lohud.com/article/20120628/NEWS02/120628007/Yonkers-poli...
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Permalink Reply by Corinne Conrad on -
Brenda, thanks for sharing the story!
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Permalink Reply by Brenda on
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Missing woman mystery: Police divers resume search in Yonkers
10:11 AM, Jul 5, 2012YONKERS — Police divers today resumed searching the Saw Mill-Hudson River junction in hopes of finding evidence on the year-old disappearance of Ivy Mantell.
Police began searching last week after receiving a tip as a result of a Journal News/LoHud.com article on the Mantell case.
Ivy Lynn Mantell, 59, was in poor health when she went missing in Getty Square on June 9, 2011. Police recovered a shopping cart and some clothing from the Hudson, but they do not know if the items belonged to Mantell.
Police do not believe Mantell is alive but they hope to solve the mystery of what happened to her. Mantell’s family fears she was a victim of foul play. The family is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to her being found.
Police and family said Mantell was devoted to her autistic son, Taylor Christian, now 20, so they don't think she disappeared on her own.
http://www.lohud.com/article/20120705/NEWS02/120705010/Ivy-Mantell-...
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Permalink Reply by Brenda on
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Yonkers police divers fail to find missing woman
Originally published: July 5, 2012 12:02 PM
Updated: July 5, 2012 4:22 PM
By TIMOTHY O'CONNOR timothy.oconnor@cablevision.comPolice dive teams searching on Thursday at the junction of the Saw Mill and Hudson rivers in Yonkers failed to find the body of a homeless woman who was missing for more than a year.
The search for Ivy Mantell, 59, had started early Thursday and wrapped up about 2 p.m. without finding the woman, who disappeared June 9, 2011, from the area around Getty Square, police said.
Dive teams recovered a couple of items from the river that will be examined.
Mantell was known to have alcohol problems and was frequently seen pushing a shopping cart around, police said.
Last month, Yonkers police put out an alert around the anniversary of her disappearance, including on the department's Facebook page. At the time, police said foul play had not been ruled out in her disappearance.
Last week, police found a shopping cart and clothes near the site of Thursday's search. It's unknown if the items belong to Mantell, Yonkers Police Lt. Joseph Solicito said.
The dive was conducted Thursday because the shifting tides made for optimal conditions to search the river, according to Solicito.http://newyork.newsday.com/westchester/yonkers-police-divers-fail-t...
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Permalink Reply by Brenda on
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Updated: Yonkers police search for missing woman, Ivy Mantell, comes up empty
1:30 PM, Jul 18, 2012 | CommentsA
A
Purchase Image
Police and their dogs scour Yonkers looking for the body of Ivy Lynn Mantell, 58. / Will David / The Journal NewsWritten by
Will DavidPolice are searching these tunnels underneath buildings above the Saw Mill River Parkway for the body of Ivy Lynn Mantell, 58.
/ Will David / The Journal News
YONKERS — With the help of a Clarkstown police dog trained to find cadavers, the Yonkers Cold Case Unit checked areas in the city this morning where police suspect a missing homeless woman’s body may have been dumped.The search came up empty, Yonkers Cold Case Unit Detective John Geiss said early this afternoon.
Clarkstown police Officer Joseph T. Knarich and his dog “Oz” had searched abandoned buildings, wooded areas and a tunnel where the Saw Mill River runs underneath Getty Square at Mill Street for any sign of Ivy Lynn Mantell, 58. He was accompanied by Yonkers K-9 Unit Officer Mark Wissner and his dog “Doc.”
Geiss, who was at the scene, said this morning that a recent Journal News article resulted in a tip that Mantell’s body might have been dumped in the Mill Street dead end. The area, behind the old city library, is a place where homeless people frequently live and hang out in abandoned areas.
Geiss said police were also following up on other leads and checking abandoned buildings on Manor House Square, Buena Vista Avenue, South Broadway and Herriot Street.
Earlier this month police divers searched the junction of the Saw Mill and Hudson rivers near the Yonkers Train Station for Mantell based on an earlier tip from a reader of The Journal News. Divers found clothing and other materials that are being analyzed to see if they have any connection to the case.
Mantell was in poor health when she went missing in Getty Square on June 9, 2011.
Mantell’s family fears she was a victim of foul play. The family is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to her being found. Police and family said Mantell was devoted to her autistic son, Taylor Christian, so they don’t think she disappeared on her own.
Police are asking anyone with information about the missing woman to call the Detective Division at 914-377-7731 or 914-377-7299 or 914-377-7900.
http://www.lohud.com/article/20120718/NEWS/307180082/Updated-Yonker...
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Permalink Reply by Brenda on
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Search for missing Yonkers woman Ivy Mantell comes up empty again
12:58 PM, Aug 16, 2012 | CommentsWritten by
Will DavidFILED UNDER
NewsYONKERS — A specially trained cadaver dog searched five abandoned commercial buildings and a multi-family house in west Yonkers this morning looking for the body of a homeless woman who has been missing since last year.
After more than a two-hour search at 43,45,47,49, 51 and 66 Buena Vista Avenue, Clarkstown Police Officer Joseph T. Knarich and his dog, “Oz,” did not find any signs of Ivy Lynn Mantell, 58.
Officer Knarich and Oz searched the buildings after Yonkers Cold Case Detective Edward Geiss received tips that Mantell’s body might be inside the buildings. Geiss said the tips came after recent articles in The Journal News.
Knarich has one of the only dogs trained to find bodies in Westchester and Rockland counties. Oz is trained to find fresh bodies, decomposed bodies and skeletons, Knarich said.
In Mantell’s case, police are searching for what would be skeletal remains, Knarich said.
Most of the buildings are expected to be demolished and replaced with new apartment buildings.
“We are searching for Ivy’s Mantell’s body and anything in regards to Mantell,” Geiss said this morning at the scene.
The Cold Case Unit with the help of the Clarkstown K-9 Unit also recently searched abandoned west side buildings, wooded areas and a tunnel where the Saw Mill River runs underneath Getty Square at Mill Street. In addition, they have checked abandoned buildings on Manor House Square, South Broadway and Herriot Street.
Last month police divers from the Yorktown police department, working with the Cold Case Squad, searched the junction of the Saw Mill and Hudson rivers near the Yonkers train station.
Mantell was in poor health when she went missing in Getty Square on June 9, 2011.
Mantell’s family fears she was a victim of foul play. The family is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to her being found. Police and family said Mantell was devoted to her autistic son, Taylor Christian, so they don’t think she disappeared on her own.
Police are asking anyone with information about the missing woman to call the Detective Division at 914-377-7731 or 914-377-7299 or 914-377-7900.
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Permalink Reply by Brenda on
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EXCLUSIVE: Huge Reward Offered In Case Of Missing Yonkers Mother
Ivy Mantell Disappeared 15 Months Ago; Cops Say Someone Knows Something
October 19, 2012 7:56 PM
Ivy Mantell went missing 15 months ago, but now her family has offered a huge reward for information in the case. (Photo: Handout)
Filed Under
Exclusive, Local, News, NY News, Radio.com - News, Seen On CBS 2HD, Syndicated Local
Related Tags
Cold case, Ivy Mantell, Lou Young, Yonkers Police Department
YONKERS, N.Y. (CBS 2) — A missing persons’ case has morphed into a possible murder investigation.A mother has been the object of an intense search in Westchester County, and her family is pleading for help to find her — dead or alive, CBS 2’s Lou Young reported exclusively on Friday.
Ivy Mantell’s family has been grappling with her hard fall and sudden disappearance.
“Every day I get up and all I think about is my sister,” her sister, Corrine Conrad, said.
“She’s our family; she’s our blood,” added Laura Castillo, the victim’s cousin.
Mantell looks like pretty executive secretary and proud mother in one photo, but became the haggard face on the cover a missing persons’ folder in a detectives’ squad room. She was last seen, they said, with a boyfriend on the streets of Yonkers a year ago June.
“He never offered to help us. He never came forward to help us. And now he’s lawyered up,” Conrad said.
Mantell’s mental health cracked under the strain of raising an autistic boy alone, her family said. Her husband left when the child was young and she began to spiral down as the boy reached his teens. He’s now institutionalized. At 58 years of age she was trying to get him back when she suddenly vanished.
“If she died of natural causes we would’ve found her already,” Yonkers Det. John Geiss said.
Yonkers police searched abandoned buildings, fields and wooded areas. They even put divers in the river without success. They also conducted searches on Long Island and upstate, but now believe the body is somewhere close to the area where she vanished.
The cops and the family are making a public appeal because they believe someone in the city knows more than they’re saying, CBS 2’s Young reported.
“I think there’s a population of people in downtown Yonkers that really knows what happened and where Ivy is,” Lt. Joseph Monaco said.
“All that is done in the dark will eventually be brought to light and our family will never rest until we learn the truth,” Castillo added.
Mantell’s autistic son, Taylor, is now 21 years old. The family said he asks for his mother all the time, but doesn’t seem to be able to process the concept that she may never be coming back. The family has offered a $10,000 reward just for the location of her body.
If you have any information on this case, please call the Yonkers Cold Case Squad at 914-377-7731.
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/10/19/exclusive-huge-reward-offere...
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