NEW YORK CITY – A woman found dead inside a duffel bag in her New York City apartment has been identified as Nadia Vitels, a 52-year-old marketing professional. The NYPD has revealed that Vitels was murdered by a pair of squatters who were occupying her apartment. The suspects, a black male and a black female believed to be in their 20s, are still on the run.
Vitels’ body was discovered on March 14 after her family called the building superintendent to perform a wellness check. The medical examiner determined her cause of death to be multiple facial fractures, a brain bleed, two broken ribs, and blunt-force trauma to the head.
According to NYPD Chief of Detectives, the suspects were squatting in Vitels’ apartment, and she likely walked in on them when she returned home. The unique design of the “upscale” apartment, with no front door and access only through an elevator, may have allowed the squatters to hide from Vitels.
The suspects were spotted leaving in Vitels’ Lexus SUV, and they were caught on surveillance footage. They are believed to have driven across the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey before crashing the vehicle.
Although no survelence footage has been released to the public, the NYPD believe they are on the right track in their search for the suspects, and the Regional Fugitive Task Force is actively hunting for them.
Authorities are urging anyone with information on the suspects or the crime to come forward and assist in the investigation.