By Carol Tannenhauser
A 74-year-old woman was found dead in her home at 126 West 83rd Street, with her hands and feet tied, on Wednesday at around 9:55 p.m., police told WSR.
Maria Hernandez was discovered “unconscious and unresponsive and pronounced deceased” following a 911 call. Aside from her bound hands and feet, “there were no other signs of trauma,” police said.
The New York City Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.
An investigation is ongoing.
We will update as we learn more. (Thanks to Tina for the tip.)
Update, 1/20, 7:20 am: “The above incident has been deemed a Homicide. There are no arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing,” according to the latest NYPD report. It was also noted that the apartment is on the third floor.
This is very disturbing and heartbreaking. I hope they find the person, or persons, that did this to that poor woman.
OMG. I live a block away. So messed up.
Across the street from post officelikely in st. timothy brownstone per picture in ny post.
NYP article mentions that this appears to have been a robbery.. This level of violence was not necessary and downright reprehensible. I hope they can identify the approximate timing of her death and use cameras to find the disgusting individuals who did this to her.
Very sad… I’ll only note in passing, from looking at the photo above, that the mascaron on either side of the doorway, apparently angels and guard dogs, while impressive, and one of the elements that I enjoy about NYC architectural facades, weren’t sufficient to protect her…
“In architecture, a mascaron ornament is a face, usually human, sometimes frightening or chimeric whose alleged function was originally to frighten away evil spirits so that they would not enter the building. The concept was subsequently adapted to become a purely decorative element.”
https://www.st-timsrc.org/who-is-st-timothy/
What a tragedy!
Headline refers to “women”, plural. Article refers to a “woman”, singular. Which is it??
Thank you, fixed.
This is sad been living in area over 25 years.YOU CANT EVEN RETIRE peacefully…Wild west getting worse.
Very sad.
Not much to say except that this is very very sad. I have a friend who lives in that building and I always admire the beautiful stonework. I hope they catch whoever did it. WSR, please follow up if there is a vigil for her in the neighborhood, I live around the corner and I would like to show support for her family.
Just when you thought it was safe to go out again…it’s not. How horribly sad all around 🙁
Keep releasing criminals for “minor” crimes and they will move onto greater crimes.
I would bet that when they catch the evil person(s) that did this, they will have a criminal record.
This is very disturbing. I have lived on the UWS for 26 years, and not too far from there. I wish peace for the family and hope the person(s) involved are caught.
This is horrible! Poor woman! And literally around the block from a police station! I hope they catch the man who did this!
Hold on. We must not assume that perpetrator was male or acted alone. However, prepare to be shocked if you happen to see the article in a recent issue of AARP magazine https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/advocacy/info-2022/texas-elder-murders.html
which describes a lone male allegedly responsible for the murders of nearly two dozen senior women (and one man) in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas and possibly connected to hundreds more suspicious deaths. Most of the victims were stalked and smothered for their jewelry and possessions in their upscale senior living facilities, some which apparently failed to properly protect their residents and report security breaches. Even though there were obvious signs of theft and foul play the police claimed most of deaths were ‘natural’ and the cases were closed. These beloved sisters and mothers were killed and forgotten the next day by an agist system. Demand justice for Maria and other older victims of violent crime.
Yes we can assume that it is men until proven differently as they are most often the perpetrators of violence against women,…and we can also assume, now, that “natural causes” are questionable to say the least.
That area has had other problems. Back in 2018, police busted a cocaine ring at 472 Columbus off 83rd St. (WSR: “Upper West Side Apartment Was Center of Multi-State Drug Ring, Police Say”)
I wonder if the dealers are still in jail.
That poor woman.
One of the other news outlets reported: “The building’s CCTV system was forcibly removed from the basement – and investigators are probing whether whoever is responsible for Hernandez’s death may have taken it.”
Who would know about that, or where it was, if the person were not very familiar with the premises?