The shooting death of an 18-year-old woman found inside a Mattapan home earlier this month has been ruled a homicide, Boston Police said Thursday.
Officers assigned to District E-18 responded to a report of a person shot at 25 Malta Road at about 1:52 p.m. on Saturday, July 18. Police entered the residence and found Yoseliani Ann Marte Ocasio, 18, of Boston, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide on July 30, police said.
Marte Ocasio, known to family as “Liani,” suffered a single gunshot wound, according to an earlier report by Boston 25 News. Her mother, Elenie Ocasio, told the station before the medical examiner’s ruling that she believed her daughter had been killed and said the teenager was not suicidal.
“My daughter didn’t deserve this,” Ocasio said. “It’s all going to come out to light.”
In a GoFundMe appeal organized to help cover funeral expenses and the family’s immediate needs, Ocasio described her daughter’s death as the result of domestic violence. Police have not publicly identified a suspect or said whether investigators believe the shooting was connected to domestic violence.
Ocasio remembered her daughter as a kind and deeply loved young woman with “so many dreams, hopes, and milestones still ahead of her.”
“Her kindness, beautiful spirit, and bright future will never be forgotten,” the family wrote in the appeal.
The fundraiser had collected more than $18,000 toward a $20,000 goal from more than 300 donors as of Thursday.
Police have not announced any arrests or released further details about the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The Boston Police Homicide Unit is investigating. Anyone with information is urged to contact detectives at 617-343-4470.
