Accused Killer Of 'Baby Hope' Dies In Custody

NYACK, NY — The man accused of the 1991 killing of "Baby Hope" died while in custody Sunday. Conrado Juarez, 57, was supposed to go on trial in March for the murder of Anjelica Castillo, 4, whose body was found in a picnic cooler in a wooded area of upper Manhattan.

Juarez, who had been waiting for the trial to begin for five years, was transferred in 2015 from Rikers Island to Rockland County Correctional Facility for his own safety, the New York Times said.

He died at Montefiore Nyack Hospital of complications related to pancreatic cancer.

The child's death remained unsolved until 2013 until Crimestoppers received a tip, pix11.com said.

Castillo was identified using DNA evidence. An autopsy found evidence of starvation and sexual abuse.

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Photo caption: Conrado Juarez at his arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court for the alleged murder of 4-year-old Anjelica Castillo, nicknamed "Baby Hope," Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013, in New York. Photo credit: AP Photo/John Minchillo, Pool.