NEW YORK — A New York City woman was found dead in her Upper West Side apartment on Wednesday, bound and gagged and underneath a pile of clothing, authorities said Friday.
According to police, Maria Hernandez, 74, was discovered by her sister, Maria Terrero, who also lives in the Manhattan apartment building, at about 10 p.m. EST, WNBC-TV reported. The apartment had been ransacked, and Terrero found her sister with her hands and feet tied and unresponsive under the pile of clothes, according to WABC-TV.
Wow, I’m still in shock. I can’t believe it,” Terrero told WNBC. “It’s the most terrifying moment of my life.”
A 74-year-old woman was found dead inside her Upper West Side apartment with her hands and feet tied, authorities said Friday.
— PIX11 News (@PIX11News) January 20, 2023
Maria Hernandez was found by her sister, lying unresponsive on the floor, bound with rope, and covered with a sheet around 9:55 p.m. pic.twitter.com/kID5vIrHqD
First responders pronounced her dead at the scene, WPIX-TV reported.
“We are all in shock. The question is -- why would someone want to do that to our mother?” the victim’s daughter, Lucia Hernandez, told the television station.
There were no signs of forced entry into the apartment, according to WABC.
According to WPIX, Maria Hernandez and Terrero had gone to a show earlier Wednesday and returned home at about 6 p.m. A neighbor celebrating a birthday stopped by 30 minutes later to offer some cake, which was the last time the victim was seen alive, the television station reported.
Later Wednesday, the victim’s daughter called Terrero and said Maria Hernandez was not answering the telephone, WABC reported.
Terrero agreed to check on her sister, and that is when she found Maria Hernandez’s body.
Police said no arrests have been made, but a person of interest is wanted in connection to the incident.
“I think I’m living a very bad dream right now. That’s the only thing I can say,” Terrero told WNBC. “I trust the authorities, I know they’re working very hard. I believe they’ll get the justice for her.”
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