Body Found in Lake Shenandoah County Park Was Homicide Victim

Eliabit Mena (Photo: OCPO)

The Lakewood man found dead in Lake Shenandoah County Park was the victim of a homicide, investigators have determined.

The body of Eliabit Mena, 18, was found Feb. 1 at the county park in his hometown, three days after his mother reported him missing, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

The body was found at about 2:15 p.m. Feb. 1 by a woman walking her dog in the park, said Della Fave. The woman told police that a male was laying on the ground unresponsive, leading to a response from Lakewood police, the prosecutor’s office’s Major Crimes Unit and Ocean County Sheriff’s Department CSI unit.

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Mena’s mother, Della Fave said, had reported her son missing Jan. 29, telling authorities he was supposed to meet friends at Lake Shenandoah Park that day.  His car was found unoccupied in the park’s parking lot.

The investigation by the prosecutor’s office and Lakewood police continues, Della Fave said, with assistance from the Ocean County Sherriff’s Department CSI. The lead detectives in the case are OCPO Major Crime Unit Detective John Murphy and Lakewood PD Detective Lynn Miller. 

Anyone with information is being encouraged to contact the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027, or the Lakewood Police Department at 732-363-0200.