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 St. 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.
She was the daughter of Elenie Ocasio and Jose Marte and is also survived by her stepmother, Jill Feldman; five siblings; her grandparents and great-grandmother; and many other relatives and friends. Her funeral Mass was held July 27 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.
Known to family as “Liani,” she suffered a single gunshot wound, according to an earlier report by Boston 25 News. Her mother 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.”
The fundraiser had collected more than $18,000 toward a $20,000 goal from more than 300 donors as of Thursday.
She enjoyed the color pink, Hello Kitty and leopard-print clothing and worked at Shea Butter Smoothies, where her favorite drink was the “Big Papi” smoothie, according to an obituary published by the William F. Spencer Funeral Service. Her family said she loved spending time with friends and brought light into the lives of those around her.
“Yoseliani will never be defined by the way her life ended,” the family wrote. “She will be remembered for the love she shared, the joy she brought to those around her, and the countless lives she touched in just eighteen short years.”
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.
