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On Wednesday, June 21, 23-year-old Staten Island woman Evelin Barajas Perez was discovered dead at her home in the Mariners Harbor Apartment complex. The incident occurred sometime before 10 pm at the 371 Van Name Avenue near Forest Avenue.
The murder currently remains under investigation, but the New York Police Department has expressed their intention of questioning Perez' boyfriend, whose name has not yet been released by authorities.
NYPD investigators noted that the death of Evelin Barajas Perez appeared to be caused by multiple stab wounds. The victim, a mother to two boys aged five and six, worked as a waitress at a local restaurant. Her children lived with her relatives in Mexico.
Evelin Barajas Perez was discovered with several stab wounds on her back
According to New York Daily News, Evelin Barajas Perez had moved into the Mariners Harbor Apartment complex three months ago. She had lived there with her boyfriend, her boyfriend's brother, and another woman.
One neighbor, 50-year-old Andreas Giraldo, described Perez as a peaceful and quiet woman who did not cause trouble around the complex. However, other neighbors noted that arguments between Perez and her boyfriend quickly became a routine occurrence within the apartment complex.
One neighbor, whose name has not been disclosed, described the tumultuous relationship to New York Daily News reporters. She said that Perez' boyfriend was so violent that the other woman who lived with them decided to move out.
“All the time since I met them, she would complain that he was very violent and abusive. It seems like she was still in love with him,” the neighbor said.
SILive reported that authorities discovered Evelin Barajas Perez's death at 10 pm on Wednesday night, when they conducted a wellness check on her apartment.
Her body was discovered in her room with several stab wounds on the back. The wellness check was called in after an unknown person told authorities that they had heard a seemingly violent argument from the property.
Andreas Giraldo described the moment that he returned to the complex to discover there had been a murder.
“I was coming home from work and I just seen police cars outside. It’s scary. I have a wife and a daughter and I work. I (was) just worried if it was a break in,” he said.
On Thursday, in the wake of the slaying, authorities canvassed the area for any surveillance footage that could potentially lead them to the perpetrator. Officials from the NYPD’s Crime Scene Unit and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner could also be seen investigating the scene of the murder.
Authorities have not disclosed any potential motives behind the slaying.
