Woman Killed by Squatters after she returned to her apartment in New York City
New York City, NY: A woman’s body was discovered stuffed in a duffel bag by her son. The woman is identified as Nadia Vitels.
According to authorities, Vitels was murdered by two squatters she encountered in her new Manhattan flat. Her body was discovered in a duffel bag in the closet.
The murderers, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, are still at large. The victim’s Lexus was discovered wrecked and abandoned in Lower Paxton Township, Pennsylvania, where they fled.
On March 14, when investigating the property with other worried relatives, Vitels’ son made the tragic find in the flat on E. 31st St. near Third Ave.
According to the chief, Vitels, 52, came across the pair squatting in the apartment while she was preparing it for a family friend to move in. Her mother had passed away.
Vitels arrived at the property on March 10, having arrived from Spain, but the police suspect the squatters had already been there for a few days.
Following the murder, the squatters took the victim’s stolen Lexus and drove it across the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey.
The chief claims that local police failed to verify the license plate, despite the fact that doing so would have revealed the existence of a pending homicide warrant associated with the car.
According to Kenny, the following day, the car was discovered abandoned on the side of the road. This time, police did contact the NYPD after conducting a check. They found out later that the squatters had gone to “many car dealerships trying to purchase a car for $1,000 which they [were] unable to do,” according to the chief.
Concurrent with Vitels’ murder, the squatters dumped her possessions down the apartment’s trash chute, leading the victim’s neighbors to suspect foul play.
The building’s porter noticed a significant increase in the amount of trash when he went to collect it on the day Vitels was discovered.
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The super of the building has reason to believe that the squatters had bigger plans than just tossing her possessions down the chute.
According to Kenny, Vitels’ son tracked her whereabouts via her cell phone after she was silent for a few days.
She knew she was going to that apartment, and her son “is very concerned about it,” Kenny added. The relatives of Vitels arrived at the facility at about 4:30 p.m. on March 14.
According to police sources, the deceased was murdered the day after he or she moved into the flat, which occurred on March 12. It was said by the super that her parents had resided in the building many years ago.
According to Chris, the porter, who observed the suspects on March 12, the individuals in question were seen entering the building with two suitcases—one pink and one grey—and were clad in blue surgical gloves. Their return to the residence was thereafter seen.
Additionally, the security guard observed the suspects’ getaway in Vitels’ Lexus on camera.
The couple’s first entry into the apartment remains a mystery to the police and building personnel.
According to Pompee, the unit’s front door was unharmed.
The city’s Medical Examiner ruled Vitels’ death a homicide on March 15 after an examination found she died from blunt force injuries to the head.
The woman’s head could have hit a damaged and shattered sheetrock wall, according to police sources, as authorities discovered evidence of a struggle inside the apartment.
