Deaf Woman's Body Found in Drum in NYC

Watch Video: Turnto10.com - Providence woman's body found in drum in NYC.



NEW YORK CITY - A young woman from Providence was the victim of a gruesome murder in New York City.



The body of 19-year-old Francis Alfonso Pellerano was found in a 55-gallon drum inside a Harlem apartment over the weekend.



"I always knew that something was going to happen to her. I wasn't sleeping at night," the victim's father, Manuel Alfonso, told NBC 10 News through a translator.



Pellerano was Deaf and could not speak. She was a student at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf on and off for about five years, until she left the school late last year.

Family members said she went to New York with a young man she met on Facebook. He is also Deaf.



Media outlets in New York reported that Pellerano may have been planning to leave the boyfriend. Pellerano's body was found in the barrel by the boyfriend's grandmother, who smelled a foul odor.



There have been no arrests. The boyfriend is under psychiatric care in a New York hospital.



"I want justice because I know he's not crazy. He cleaned all the blood after he killed her," Alfonso said.



The Rhode Island School for the Deaf is planning a memorial for Pellerano. SOURCE: http://www.turnto10.com/story/21552695/providence-womans-body-found-in-drum

WPRI - Deaf Student Breaks Barriers

VIDEO: WPRI - Deaf student breaks barriers. (Captioned)



PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A Providence teen would love to break another barrier through her senior project. 18-year-old Amber Rodriguez is a high school senior with dreams of becoming a police officer, so getting tugged along by one of Providence’s two explosive detection dogs makes for a perfect project.



This is a first for Providence Patrolman Linc Sisson, and Kyra the Belgian Shepherd, who is stronger than she looks. Amber is a sharp shooter on the court for the Rhode Island School For The Deaf, and competes on the basketball court as well as in the classroom.



Her desire to protect and serve combined with her love of animals sparked her unique senior project idea. “I’m learning about how she sniffs out the bombs, how she can find and detect some of the bombs that are hidden,” Amber said.



While Amber’s athleticism would be an advantage to the rigors of police work, she knows she would probably be the first Deaf officer.



“Deaf people are a little more visual, so I would be able to see a lot of things before they happen. We are more attentive with our eyes,” she said. ... READ MORE: http://www.wpri.com/dpp/on_air/street_stories/Street-stories-deaf-student-breaks-barriers