SAUGERTIES, NY — A 15-year-old male has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of an 88-year-old woman.
Mark J. Wanchik II, of Saugerties, was arrested June 7, 2026, after family members brought him to the Saugerties Police Department.
Police responded to 25 John Shults Road and found Elena Bonjolo, of Saugerties, deceased outside an abandoned residence.
The death occurred sometime between 9:25 a.m. and 1:52 p.m. June 7.
The cause of death was determined to be blunt impact injuries to the head and neck.
Bonjolo lived in close proximity to Wanchik, and both parties were known to each other but were not related.
Wanchik is being treated as a juvenile offender because he is 15 years old and has been accused of committing second-degree murder.
He was arraigned early June 8 by an accessible magistrate in Saugerties before being remanded to a secure facility without bail.
The Saugerties Police Department is being assisted by the New York State Police, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office and the Ulster County Child Advocacy Center.
Additional charges are expected.
