We are on the scene at 191 Orchard St. where it was reported earlier this morning that a 29 year old woman was fatally slashed, and suffered severe knife wounds to the neck. She was found inside the first floor stairway of the apartment building. Police are still on the scene. Police sources are saying that the woman appears to have fallen down the stairs and it is unclear whether her death was caused by her fall or by knife wounds. They are trying to determine if the knife wounds were caused by an attack or were self inflicted.
The Local East Village is reporting that a longtime resident of the building noted the victim “had a Missouri drivers license in her wallet, which also still contained money, credit cards and an iPhone.”
UPDATE: 2:02 p.m. We spoke with a witness who lives in the building, M.D. Hussain, 24 years old, who said he was awakened by police sirens this morning around 10am and came out to see the victim lying at the bottom of the landing on her side. He said there was a lot of blood.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the woman was apparently estranged from her husband, and that the woman’s roommate told investigators he had spoken to her this morning by phone and she had sounded distraught.
