Police: Body of NYC Real Estate Broker Found Along Highway

NEW YORK — A real estate broker was murdered and his body was dumped on the side of a major roadway in Queens, police sources say.

What started out as a missing person’s case is now a homicide investigation.

Missing Queens man found dead with hands, feet bound, sources say

Valery Pierre says he was trying to get in touch with his best friend Emmanuel Moncoeur for almost a month.

“He never replied to my texts, never replied to my calls,” he said. “It was so unusual, so I had to do something … I called 911.”

That phone call, though, led to something he feared – a homicide investigation.

Police sources say on Tuesday, a motorist found Moncoeur’s body in the grass next to the Clearview Expressway near Union Turnpike, about 10 miles from Moncoeur’s Ridgewood apartment. The 57-year-old’s hands and feet had been bound together.

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Police have not yet identified any potential suspects and no arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing.

Loved ones devastated by mysterious death

Pierre says his friend was an honest real estate broker and wonders who could have done this.

“I am confused because he is such a good guy,” he said. “I can guarantee Emmanuel is not a person who would get involved with bad business.”

Moncoeur was originally from Haiti and had family in the city. They didn’t want to do an in-person interview, but his brother told CBS News New York’s John Dias over the phone he found out the news Thursday after not hearing from his brother for weeks.

“I last saw him late November, early December. I spoke with him, wishing each other a happy new year on New Year’s Day,” he said.

Moncoeur’s friends are also devastated over the news.

“I feel bad. He is one of my friends of 20 years-plus,” landlord Dat Ho Quach said.

“Sad news for me as a neighbor. I am in shock. In shock,” one neighbor said.