Body of Orsolya Gaal found stuffed inside duffle bag in Queens, police say
NEW YORK -- Police are investigating after the body of 51-year-old Orsolya Gaal was found stuffed inside a duffle bag in Queens.
Police said a man was walking his dog near Metropolitan Avenue and Forest Park Drive just after 8 a.m. Saturday when he came across the bag. Officers arrived and found Gaal's body inside it. The body had not started to decompose.
51 year old Orsolya Gaal has been identified as the victim in #Queens #nyc @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/0nfAL8HgWy
— Kiran Dhillon (@KiranDhillonTV) April 17, 2022
As CBS2's Kiran Dhillon reported, police said a trail of blood from the duffle bag led them to a house on Juno Street, where neighbors said Gaal lived.
"I'm going to miss her. I'm in shock, and we cannot believe that this is happening," one neighbor said.
Neighbors said Gaal lived in the home with her two sons, ages 13 and 17, and her husband. They described her as a stay-at-home mom who loved her children.
"Just so tragic. I just feel sick to the bone about hearing this," Nicola Blankson said. "She enjoyed life. She was out and about, you know, socializing, seeing theaters, traveling."
Sources told CBS2 the suspected cause of death was blunt force trauma. They said investigators initially believed Gaal's 13-year-old son and husband may have been persons of interest in the case. They later said the husband is not considered a suspect.
Police said Gaal's 13-year-old son was taken in for questioning and was released.
Investigators are now looking at the victim's phone records to determine when it was last active.
Neighbors who saw Gaal on Friday said she seemed to be in good spirits.
"She was in the garden with the dog and the son, so I heard them talking, just regular family stuff," Blankson said.
Distraught neighbors in the quiet community said they're in mourning.
"Our lives will not be the same, neither, because every time I would come out, I would hear her or the dog barking," one neighbor said. "She was a very happy woman, always smiling, always joking."
"She loved life, really," Blankson said.
"We go to their place for dinner. They come to ours for dinner. He's babysat for the kids. That kind of stuff," John Blankson said. "Super shocked, super shocked. Just unbelievable. How can this happen? And sad, sad. For her, the victim, the family. This is unbelievable, a tragedy."
So far, no arrests have been made. The motive for the attack also remains unclear.