Two strangers mysteriously disappeared days apart last month after visiting a Native American reservation on Long Island, authorities said.
Isaiah Henriquez, 20, of West Babylon and Luis Alvarenga, 27, of Kings Park were each last seen at the Poospatuck Reservation in Mastic on April 8 and 10, respectively, police confirmed.
Police said their disappearances are not connected, but have not yet determined “whether their presence on the reservation played a role in” them going missing.
Henriquez’s mother — who asked to only be referred to as Diana — told The Post her son was dropped off at the Suffolk County reservation at 7:30 p.m. that Saturday after he spent time at a party in Brentwood, a town more than 20 miles away from Poospatuck.
The young man had visited the Unkechaugi people’s reservation before, Henriquez’s friends told his mother, though she doesn’t know why he made the trip last month.
“Apparently he has gone there in the past to buy weed or cigarettes. He doesn’t smoke cigarettes so it would be weed, but I don’t know why he would go so far to buy it because it’s legal now in New York,” Diana said.
“I don’t know if he smoked something and it was laced with something and he was laid somewhere.
“I have all these crazy thoughts going through a man that I try not to think about.”
Henriquez told partygoers he would be back “quick,” but his phone went dark after several hours, his mother said.
Diana reported her son missing the following morning after he failed to return home or answer her texts through the night — which is extremely out of his character.
She grew even more concerned when her family-oriented and thoughtful son didn’t show up to their Easter festivities with the piñata he planned to bring for the young kids.
“I know that he loves me very much,” Diana said.
“He wouldn’t do this to me unless it was against his will. He wouldn’t have me worrying for — tomorrow it will be four weeks. I’ve never gotten more than one day without speaking to my son.”
Two days after Henriquez left the party, Alvarenga was last seen visiting the same reservation and similarly was not seen leaving.
The two men do not know one another, but Diana fears the coincidence is too glaring to ignore, especially since she’s heard about “drug-infested and gang”-related rumors about the land.
Searches have since been conducted on Poospatuck, but no trace of either man was found, Diana said.
Police did not say whether foul play was suspected at this point in the investigation.
Requests for comment made to the Unkechaug Indian Nation Chief, the federal Tribal Law Enforcement Authority and BIA Police were not immediately returned.
