Five New Yorkers have been charged with murder in the death of a missing 24-year-old trans man, whose body was found left in a field after enduring months of torture and abuse, according to New York State Police.
Sam Nordquist, of Oakdale, Minn., traveled to upstate New York in late September 2024 and was expected to return home about two weeks later. However, he never boarded his return flight and lost contact with his loved ones, prompting his family to request a welfare check from the NYSP Office in Canandaigua.
According to the nonprofit Missing People in America, Nordquist had met “a woman named Precious online, who convinced him to visit her in New York.” His family said he bought a roundtrip ticket to see his online girlfriend, reported Minneapolis station KARE.
On Feb. 9, NYSP investigators determined Nordquist had been staying at Patty’s Lodge motel in Hopewell, along with 38-year-old Precious Arzuaga and several other people.
A subsequent search of apartment 22 at Patty’s Lodge revealed “a deeply disturbing pattern of abuse that ultimately resulted in Sam’s tragic death,” NYSP Captain Kelly Swift said Friday at a press conference.
Based on evidence and witness statements, police determined Nordquist “endured prolonged physical and psychological abuse at the hand of multiple individuals,” Swift said.
Those include 38-year-old Arzuaga and 30-year-old Patrick Goodwin, both from Canandaigua; 33-year-old Kyle Sage of Rochester; 30-year-old Jennifer Quijano of Geneva; and 19-year-old Emily Motyka of Lima.
Police say the group subjected the victim to “repeated acts of violence and torture” from early December 2024 to February 2025. They allegedly sexually assaulted Nordquist with a table leg and broomsticks, and beat him with sticks, dog toys, ropes and belts until he died, reported local ABC affiliate WHAM, citing a felony complaint.
“His body was then transported in an attempt to conceal the crime” and was discovered on Thursday in a field off Payne Road in the Town of Benton, Swift said.
The five suspects have since been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Nordquist, which Swift called “one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated.”
They remained in custody on Saturday at the Ontario County Jail, pending their arraignment.
“This is by far the worst homicide investigation that our office has ever been a part of,” Ontario County District Attorney Jim Ritz told reporters, adding the circumstances of the crime are “beyond depraved.”
“No human being should have to endure what Sam endured,” Ritz said.
Authorities provided limited details about the case, stating the investigation remains ongoing.
When asked to comment on whether the incident was a hate crime, Swift said police hadn’t “ruled that out.”
