Strange Mu-rder of Maria Cruz
Maria Cruz was born in the Phillippines. She moved to New York City for university and found success as a financial analyst. Maria became a naturalized U.S. citizen bringing to life a coming-of-age success story of an immigrant who went from fantasizing about the American dream, to living it. A devout Catholic, the 35-year-old lived on the Upper West Side.
On Wednesday, April 16, 2003, several of Maria’s relatives requested a welfare check. They had become concerned after receiving a call from Maria’s boss, claiming that she had missed three days of work.
When the police checked Maria’s apartment they found a sink full of dirty dishes, and magazines piled up at the front door, as though she had been gone for days. She was officially reported missing on Friday, April 18th.
Through surveillance footage and bank records, the authorities determined that Maria went to church mass on Sunday, April 13th followed by some shopping in Manhattan and a quick trip to her office at 1 pm. After that, the trail went cold.
It would take the police five months to obtain a search warrant for Maria’s email account and what they discovered broke the case wide open.
It turned out that Maria had scheduled a 5:30 pm appointment with her dermatologist, 43-year-old Dean Faiello, the day that she disappeared.
Dean was a college dropout. In high school, he was voted ‘Most Likely To Succeed’ and he was willing to do whatever he needed to maintain a lavish lifestyle and a successful image, even if it meant risking the lives of others.
Dean ran SkinOvations, a company offering mole laser removal. He told his patients that he was a doctor, that their moles weren’t cancerous, and that he could get rid of them with $250 laser sessions. Sadly, several patients did end up having cancer, but they wouldn’t find out for months.
Eventually, Dean was caught red-handed in an undercover sting and an article exposing the truth was published by the New York Post.
When Maria disappeared, Dean was on probation for practicing medicine without a license. He was also addicted to nasal spray and was facing five months in prison for forging prescriptions on a stolen doctor’s pad.
Dean was ordered to close SkinOvations and stop practicing medicine. Instead, he started seeing his patients in a friend’s apartment.
Dean lived with his partner, Greg who had lent him thousands of dollars for bail and lawyer’s fees. Dean sold his house for $400,000 and refused to give Greg any of the money. Fed up, Greg ended the relationship for good.
Dean moved in with his friend Mark. Over time, Mark noticed that things were going missing from his home, and he eventually kicked Dean out.
Mark found a duffel bag that Dean had left behind. Inside was a purse, wallet, and address book belonging to Maria Cruz. Mark ultimately decided he didn’t want to get involved and did not report it to the police.
Shortly after, investigator Brian Ford called Greg and told him that Dean was wanted for questioning regarding Maria Cruz’s disappearance but could not be located.
That’s when Greg remembered that Dean had purchased a large amount of cement in April 2003 — the same month that Maria suddenly vanished.
Based on Greg’s tip, investigators went to Dean’s former home and obtained permission to search it from the new owners. They hammered away at a large concrete slab in the garage only to discover a suitcase containing Maria’s remains, nearly nine months after she had gone missing.
By this time, Dean had already fled the state. Two weeks later, he was arrested in Costa Rica where he had convinced a young couple to take him in. Since the U.S. can’t extradite a Costa Rican citizen, Dean asked them to adopt him. Surprisingly, they agreed but a judge blocked the adoption.
Dean was charged with second-degree murder but he accepted a plea deal to the lesser charge of First-Degree Assault and Practicing Medicine Without a Medical license. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Dean made a full confession, admitting Maria made an appointment to have scars removed from her thighs, unaware he was not a licensed doctor.
Dean was drunk and high when he administered too much Lidocaine, a numbing agent, into Maria’s body, causing her to go into shock. Instead of dialing 911, he stuffed her into a suitcase and drove home.
A few days later, Dean dug a hole in the garage, buried Maria, and covered her with cement.
Dean was paroled in January 2022 after serving 17 years. Upon his release, he claimed he was a Quaker, having found God and sobriety in prison.
In December 2022, Dean apologized to the Cruz family for the first time. Today, the 64-year-old works at a grocery store as a maintenance man.
A beautiful memorial was held for Maria in New York City after which her parents took her remains back to the Philippines. RIP Maria Cruz.
