Clay Monsanto Jr Obituary, Death; Wanted suspect ID’d in shooting death of Bronx father from Belize

Clay Monsanto Jr Obituary, Death; – Authorities have identified a suspect in the deadly shooting of a Bronx father that occurred in August and are seeking assistance from the public to locate the individual.

Evaristo Melendez, aged 47, is wanted in connection with the shooting of Clay Monsanto Jr., 32, who was shot in the back near E. 176th St. and Anthony Ave. in Morris Heights at approximately 8:10 a.m. on August 26.

NYPD officials disclosed the suspect’s identity and released a photograph of him on Monday.

Monsanto was the fourth member of his family to be murdered, following the deaths of his father and two brothers in Belize.

According to police, Melendez was dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt, black trousers, and blue sneakers when he fled the scene. He has a criminal record dating back to 2001.

Emergency medical personnel transported Monsanto Jr. to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

“He was a very personable person, very charismatic,” remarked the victim’s wife, Nikkea Molina, who has a 4-year-old son and a daughter born earlier this year with Monsanto Jr.

Following the shooting, police discovered a firearm in Monsanto’s back right pocket. Eight shell casings were also retrieved from the crime scene.

Monsanto Jr. immigrated to the United States as a teenager in 2008, escaping the violence prevalent in his home country of Belize.

“Belize is a rough place,” Molina stated. “With all the issues occurring down there, his family believed it was safer for him to be away from that.”
Monsanto’s brother, Kadeem Monsanto, was fatally shot in the Backatown area of Belize City in 2011 at the age of 17. Another brother, Claymar, was tragically killed as an infant in 2002, dying in his father’s arms from a bullet likely intended for Clay Monsanto Sr., 52, as reported locally.

Monsanto Sr.’s life also ended violently when the alleged former gang leader was shot just days before Easter in a 2024 incident at his home in Belize after being deported from the United States.
Monsanto Jr. faced challenges in coping with the violent deaths of his brothers but had developed a spiritual resilience by the time of his father’s murder that enabled him to cope with the tragedy.