Valley Stream woman's body stolen from cemetery

The family of a deceased Valley Stream woman, whose remains were stolen earlier this week from a Suffolk County cemetery, are offering a $30,000 reward for the return of her body.

Mattia Filippazzo, who died in 1998, was buried in a mausoleum at St. Charles Cemetery in East Farmingdale. According to Suffolk County police, vandals broke into three mausoleums at the cemetery between 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 23 and 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 24. A casket was removed from one of the tombs and human remains stolen.

Filippazzo lived in Valley Stream for 20 years. After moving to the United States from Italy in the 1950s, she lived in Brooklyn and then Ridgewood, Queens before settling locally.

She and her husband raised seven children. Filippazzo worked as a seamstress in a factory for many years.

Her grandson, Vincent Longo, said the family's reaction was one of disgust and pain when they learned on Tuesday morning her remains were stolen.

The are offering the reward in conjunction with the Mangano Funeral Home of Deer Park. "We're looking for the safe return of her remains," Longo said.

Grandson Stefano Filippazzo, an attorney from Brooklyn, said on behalf of the family, "As Catholics, we believe that when we die we shall rest in peace forever. That is all we ask for our mother and grandmother."

Anyone with information can call the Suffolk County Police Department's First Squad at (631) 854-8152 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 220-TIPS