Investigators with the Boston Police Department have determined that the death of an 18-year-old woman found inside a Mattapan rental property owned by the husband of U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley was a homicide.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled on Thursday, July 30, 2026, that Yoseliani Ann Marte Ocasio died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
The ruling comes a little under two weeks after the body was discovered on July 18. Boston police officers responded to a call classified as an “investigate person” report after an individual walked into the District E-18 station to report that someone had been shot. Upon arrival, officers made entry, conducted a protective sweep, and located the body in the second apartment of the home near a rear bedroom. Ocasio was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy performed the following day at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner initially identified the cause of death as a single gunshot wound, with the manner of death pending further forensic testing. On Thursday, authorities formally confirmed the manner of death as homicide.
No arrests have been made, and no charges have been filed as of the ruling. The Boston Police Department’s Homicide Unit continues to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident.
18-year-old victim inside Rep. Pressley’s husband’s home was shot dead, medical examiner confirmshttps://t.co/lkprZbv0y9
— Mass Daily News (@MassDailyNews) July 30, 2026
Property records list Conan Harris, the husband of Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), as the owner of the two-story, seven-bedroom house built in 1910. The property, which had been functioning as a rental, is assessed at approximately $919,000 and had been listed for sale at $1.15 million
Police officials have stated that there is “absolutely nothing that indicates any connection to the owners of the property.”
“The Congresswoman extends her deepest condolences to the impacted family,” a spokesperson for Pressley’s office said shortly after the body was found. The same spokesperson confirmed that neither the congresswoman nor her family was involved in the incident. In subsequent comments, Pressley described herself as devastated by the loss and noted that the young woman’s life had been cut short
Ocasio’s mother, Elenie Ocasio, identified her daughter in the days following the discovery and stated that the death resulted from domestic violence. In comments to local media, she said she believes she knows who may be responsible. In a GoFundMe campaign established to cover burial costs, Elenie Ocasio wrote that her daughter was “deeply loved by her family, friends, and everyone whose life she touched” and described the loss of “someone so young, with so many dreams, hopes, and milestones still ahead of her.” She further stated publicly, “This coward killed my baby. He put a gun to her head, took my baby in that house and left her to die.”
Authorities have not publicly confirmed a domestic violence connection or identified any suspects as of this report.
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