Police: Racist hate mail sent to former Riverhead school superintendent

Letters containing derogatory terms and messages of hate were sent to the former Riverhead school superintendent, according to Suffolk police.

News 12 Staff

Sep 2, 2020, 9:45 PM

Updated 1,477 days ago

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Letters containing derogatory terms and messages of hate were sent to the former Riverhead school superintendent, according to Suffolk police.
The images of the letters were obtained by RiverheadLocal.com. News 12 Long Island obtained the Suffolk County Police Department report that provides further details, including that someone left an envelope on Dr. Aurelia Henriquez's car that used another derogatory name for Hispanics and included a severed brown-skinned Barbie doll head and arm.
Two of the hateful letters included racial slurs and phrases like, "We hate you. We all hate your kind. We will find a way to clean house."
Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvettte Aguiar says the matter was referred to the Suffolk County Police Department's Hate Crime Unit. The unit then determined the complaint was founded, however, Aguira says the matter was closed after the superintendent didn't want to continue to cooperate with the investigation.
"The message that was being sent forward lacked moral value, and it goes against the fabric of our society, and it's important that the author of these two letters are identified," says Aguiar.
Aguiar has now sent a letter to the FBI asking that it get involved. Aguiar says she believes the FBI can investigate with or without the testimony of Dr. Henriquez.
In a statement to News 12, Dr. Henriquez confirmed she didn't want to pursue criminal action saying, "To safeguard my family's privacy and safety, I wasn't interested in pursuing this any further." Dr. Henriquez resigned from her position as superintendent at the end of June. 
Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller says Dr. Henriquez reported receiving similar hateful letters in 2018 when she started as school superintendent.