Body found identified as building superintendent
A body found in Queens has neighbors shaken and police searching for answers.
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NEW YORK (WCBS/WLNY) — A body found in Queens has neighbors shaken and police searching for answers.
The deceased was identified late Wednesday night as 55-year-old Jose Portillo, of Queens.
Police sources tell CBS News New York he was the building’s superintendent, and his body was found inside a tenant’s apartment. Sources say he went into the apartment to collect rent, and never came out.
Body found inside bag, under bed, sources say
Officers were called for wellness check around 5 p.m. Tuesday at an apartment building on 70th Avenue in Kew Gardens.
Sources say they found the body in the ground floor unit, stuffed inside a garbage bag and under a bed.
The medical examiner’s office removed the body and will determine the cause of death.
Police said two people of interest were taken into custody at the scene, and 48-year-old Sandra Coto-Navarro was later charged with murder, tampering with evidence and criminal possession of a weapon.
Queens neighbors “shocked” by the news
Neighbors said they never noticed anything suspicious at the apartment.
“I’m shocked, I’m just in pure shock,” one person said. “He’s my super, he’s a nice guy. He’s helpful, when we need something, he does everything.”
“He was a good man, I mean, he always said, ‘hello, how you doing?’ If you called him, you had a problem or leak, he’d come right away,” another neighbor added.
Anyone with any information about the case is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website. All calls are kept confidential.
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