Friends of a woman found dead in Central Park over the weekend shared Monday more about who she was.
Police made an arrest in the killing of the 63-year-old on Sunday.
Victim created artwork depicting Central Park wildlife, friends say
Acquaintances of the victim said she was a fixture in the area as an artist who had been living in the park. Police said they are not yet releasing her identity until her family is notified.
Joe Lopez showed CBS News New York the detailed artwork he bought from the woman in Central Park.
“This is Pale Male, the most famous hawk that ever lived here in the park,” Lopez said. “I know a lot of characters, but she was my favorite character.”
He said he met the woman in the park more than a decade ago.
“She was great. She was really fun to talk. She knew wildlife. She knew animal behavior. So, it’s not she just sat there and painted them. She really knew more than an artist would about these animals and I found that intriguing and interesting,” Lopez said.
A 63-year-old woman was found dead a gazebo in Central Park on Sept. 27, 2026.
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One man showed up Monday visibly upset, but did not want to speak with anyone.
Moses Diaz also came by to light a candle on the bench of the gazebo in the ramble, where he said she slept.
“She was a great lady,” Diaz said.
He was there on Sunday as well and spoke with CBS News New York’s Lisa Rozner.
“For my birthday she gave me a squirrel made of tin foil she makes as art. She was an artist,” Diaz said. “She was a sweet woman.”
Sadness now replaces shock for them as they said they will never see their friend again, a woman as much a part of the tapestry of Central Park as the birds she loved to paint.
Latest on investigation into woman’s killing in Central Park
Police said they responded before 10 a.m. on Sunday to a 911 call in the park and found the woman dead.
Police sources said she had trauma to the head, apparently caused by a wooden stick.
The suspect, 36-year-old Jonathan Robles, turned himself in, police said. He’s charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
Police sources said he lives in a Midtown shelter.
Right now, it’s unclear what the motive was, but police sources said there was an argument.
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