Over 30 years after a gruesome discovery in rural Massachusetts, law enforcement officials say they have been able to identify the deceased and launch a new phase of the investigation.
“This case began on June 24th, 1989, when a passing motorist discovered what appeared to be human remains, not far from the roadway of Route 78 in Warwick, Mass,” Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan said during a press conference Thursday.
Thanks to DNA testing, authorities say the remains of a woman found in Warwick, a small town near the New Hampshire border, were those of Constance Bassignani.
Also known by her maiden name, Constance Holminski, the 65-year-old had been living in Rhode Island before seemingly disappearing roughly around the same time the human remains were discovered.
The victim’s identity had long-eluded officials, ever since they first found the limbs of the victim decades ago.
With little to no evidence, including a fingerprint from the scene that led to no matches, the case went cold.
However, Sullivan’s office says in 2023, Massachusetts State Police were able to submit a sample of the victim’s DNA to a private lab in Texas called “Othram.”
The results put them in contact with both the living daughter and three grandchildren of the victim, allowing them to pinpoint Constance as the victim.
The discovery also unraveled a story her family members were told by the victim’s second husband, according to First Assistant District Attorney Steven Gagne.
“Her husband, William, told the family that Constance had decided to move back to Hawaii and that they would not be seeing or hearing from her again,” Gagne said during the conference. “Investigators were unable to locate any shred of evidence that Constance, in fact, ever moved back to Hawaii and family members report having no contact with Constance since that time.”
Constance, who was originally from Hawaii, disappeared around Memorial Day weekend.
Gagne says husband William Bassignani died four years later, in 1993, but that it’s fair to say he’s a person of interest.
The district attorney’s office also noted that so far, no obvious motive or tension between the two has been unearthed. There also does not appear to be any connection between them and Warwick, Massachusetts, either.
Still, as Gagne explains, identifying the victim is the first hurdle in any homicide investigation.
With names in hand, authorities indicated the next phase will involve speaking to anyone who remembers the couple, including neighbors from when they lived in Rhode Island as well as in nearby Franklin, Massachusetts.
“We're hopeful there may be somebody out there who knows, remembers something, no matter how minute or seemingly insignificant,” he said. “In these cases, you never know precisely what type of lead may have a domino effect.”
Officials ask anyone with tips contact the Northwestern District Attorney at northwesternda.org.
