Cindy Maxwell was shot to death, apparently by her daughters’ father, who abandoned the body and went with the girls to another apartment until he was arrested in the Bronx days later, the New York police reported.
Maxwell, 45, was found in an advanced state of decomposition and with several gunshot wounds Saturday afternoon at a NYCHA apartment at Parkside Houses in Allerton. The name of the detainee has not been revealed and the charges against him were pending yesterday, reported Daily News.
Apparently the crime happened on Wednesday, when witnesses heard sounds of gunshots. But for reasons that remain unclear, the police did not respond to the scene until three days later. According to the sources, The couple’s two daughters, ages 6 and 11, were in the house when their mother was killed.but it is not clear if they were direct witnesses to the crime.
Police arrived at the 12th floor apartment on Arnow Ave. near Barker Ave. around 3:50 p.m. Saturday after a downstairs neighbor called 911 to report a terrible stench coming from inside. That same resident reported hearing about four shots on Wednesday.
The girls were last seen leaving the apartment around 10 a.m. Wednesday. On Sunday the NYPD appealed to the public for help finding them and at 2:50 pm they were found at the home of her paternal grandmother, in an apartment building in Mount Hope, about 2½ miles from his home. They were with his father, who was detained by the police and apparently confessed to the murder.
It is not clear the motive of the domestic crime. Maxwell’s relatives described her as a devoted mother and described his death as devastating.
All charges are mere accusations and those charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
