WASHINGTON HEIGHTS N.Y. (PIX11) — As police moved in and out of the apartment on a quiet block of 156th Street in Washington Heights, neighbors were coming to grips with a horrible discovery made in their building.
The NYPD identified the 27-year-old woman as Lovay Williams. The mother was found with neck and facial trauma.
Get ongoing crime and safety coverage on our homepage
Neighbors say she and her 7-year-old little girl often played loud music, and they sometimes heard screaming from inside the apartment, but generally they kept to themselves.
The little girl came to the door when police performed a wellness check on Sunday. It’s not clear how long she was with her mother’s body.
“I never saw anyone besides her and the daughter,” said neighbor Luz Perez. “I hope they find them. I hope they do. That poor little girl, she lost her mother, and that’s sad. She should not have to go through that at her age.”
Jim Aiken helped police access the building surveillance video, which showed a man moving in and out of the building Sunday morning. It was just about an hour before police found Williams during the wellness check at 1:30 p.m.
“It’s sad for the family, especially for the little girl,” said Jim Aiken. “He left at 12:24 p.m. with a bunch of trash bags full of stuff.”
No information has been released about any potential suspect, witness, or person of interest. The investigation is ongoing.
The family of the victim announced on social media that they will be holding a balloon release at 7 p.m. at 132nd Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Andrew Cruz is a digital content producer. A native New Yorker, he joined PIX11 in 2009 as a weather producer. More of his work can be found here.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.