A Staten Island teen who vanished from a mall two days ago was found strangled in a remote part of New Jersey – and cops are now quizzing her boyfriend over the brutal murder, authorities said this afternoon.
The body of Jessica Tush, 19, was found buried in a freshly dug, shallow grave by a group of hikers Thursday morning in Burlington County’s Pine Barrens – about three hours from the city – in Bass River Township.
The hikers immediately called cops, said New Jersey State Police Capt. Al Della Fave.
A preliminary autopsy revealed that Tush – who was found with scratches on her face and wearing a cream-colored bubble jacket and black pants – was strangled with a chord, police said.
“They took a part of our heart that can never be fixed,” said Jessica’s mother, Dina Tush, as tears streamed down her face outside her Staten Island home.
As Jessica’s father, Victor, stood by her side, Dina remembered her daughter as a “beautiful girl” who didn’t do drugs or go to parties.
“You can’t replace your baby,” she said. “No one should have to bury one’s child.”
Tush’s parents and friends told investigators that the teen’s boyfriend, Thomas Paulino, had become increasingly abusive over the past few weeks.
Tush’s family also told cops that Paulino had attacked their daughter just last week after she threatened to break up with him, leaving her with bruises, sources said.
Investigators were questioning Paulino today at the 120th Precinct station house on Staten Island, sources said.
No arrests have been made.
Neither Tush nor her family filed a police report against Paulino for causing bruising to her face, police said.
Neighbors confirmed that Jessica had problems with her boyfriend – although her parents refused to comment on it.
Of the killer, Dina would only say, “I hope they catch him – and he suffers.”
Tush’s parents told police that their daughter was supposed to go to a wake for a friend with one of her other pals, Leanne Salhany, the afternoon she disappeared.
Tush never showed up for the service.
The wake, which was held in the Tottenville section, was for a male friend who died in a car crash in Burlington County – eerily near where her body was ultimately recovered.
Tush, who graduated from Susan Wagner HS in 2006, was last seen alive Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the trendy BCBG clothing store where she worked in the Staten Island Mall, her parents told police.
One co-worker, who did not want to give her name, said Tush was a “sweet, sweet girl” and a great employee and friend.
“We’re all devastated,” she said.
Tush’s family said they filed a missing-person’s report the next day.
The Tush family had posted an anxious plea on their daughter’s MySpace page Thursday afternoon – unbeknownst to them that her body had been recovered – in the hopes that someone could “get in touch with us immediately.”