NYPD takes 4 into custody after 70-year-old woman found dead in garbage bag inside luxury Bronx apartment

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

BRONX, NEW YORK: Authorities discovered the lifeless body of a 70-year-old woman concealed within a garbage bag in a luxury Bronx apartment building on Thursday night, March 21.

In response to this disturbing find, police have taken four individuals into custody within the premises. It's important to note that these suspects have not yet been formally charged, as New York Post reported.

What did NYPD find?

The New York Police Department (NYPD) responded to a residence on Grand Concourse in Mott Haven around 1.45 pm on March 21, 2024, where they made the troubling discovery of the unidentified 70-year-old's body.

The upscale building, as reported by StreetEasy, offers various amenities such as a game room, pet spa, yoga studio, and business center.

A week ago, on March 14, a comparable crime occurred, and authorities are now on the lookout for the two squatters implicated in the death of Nadia Vitel, as per earlier reports by news.meaww.com.

NYPD seeks squatters accused in murder of Nadia Vitel

On Thursday, March 14, New York Police made a grim discovery in a Manhattan apartment - the body of a 52-year-old woman, Nadia Vitel, concealed inside a duffel bag in her closet. 

This comes after a welfare check conducted by officers from the NYPD. Numerous bags containing the victim's belongings, including three suitcases and bags of clothes, were seen being removed from the building.

Jean Pompee, the building's superintendent and a resident for 22 years, was alerted by distressed relatives of Vitel, who hadn't been heard from in days.

Pompee was the first to enter Vitel's apartment in response to the call. 

Upon entry, he immediately sensed something was wrong; Vitel's dog had urinated on the floor, displaying unusual behavior, and there were indications of a struggle, such as damage to the breaker panel. 

Following a thorough examination by medical professionals, Vitel's demise was classified as a homicide, with blunt force trauma to the head cited as the cause of death. 

After the gruesome discovery a week ago, New York City police are actively seeking two squatters suspected of being involved in Vitel's murder.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny stated on Thursday, "We believe that some squatters took the apartment over and this woman came home…and walked in on the squatters that were there,"

The pair fled across the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey and then proceeded to Pennsylvania, where they crashed their SUV in Lower Paxton Township. 

Despite the crash, Pennsylvania police did not immediately run the license plate to discover that the vehicle was sought in connection to a homicide, Kenny reportedly mentioned. 

Additionally, police stated that after the crash, the duo visited several local car dealerships in an attempt to purchase a vehicle for $1,000. 

While the identity of the suspects has not been disclosed by the police, sources described them as a man and woman in their 20s, as per Fox News.