Police are investigating the death of a 29-year-old Queens woman whose body was found behind a Bronx apartment building just days before Christmas.

The victim was identified by family as Pamela Guerrero. Her mother, Paulina Pacheco, said she is still struggling to accept that her daughter is gone.

“She was born six months premature at Jacobi Hospital,” Pacheco said. “She wasn’t a malicious person. She was a good girl.”

What You Need To Know

A 29-year-old Queens woman was found dead behind a Bronx apartment building just days before Christmas

The victim’s family says she was last seen hours earlier near the location

The victim’s mother said she believed her daughter was heading back to her home in Queens when they parted ways

The medical examiner will determine the cause of death as the investigation continues

Pacheco said she spent time with her daughter just hours before Guerrero’s body was discovered. The two were together at a nearby restaurant where one of Guerrero’s sons works, only blocks from the Bronx building where police later found her.

Pacheco said she believed her daughter was heading back to her home in Queens when they parted ways around 2 a.m. She now wants answers about what happened in the hours that followed.

“I still can’t believe it,” Pacheco said. “She supported me too. She would tell me… I would say, ‘Look, I want this,’ and she would say, ‘Okay, when I can, when I get out.’ She worked. She used to tell me, ‘You don’t work, so I’ll take care of it. I’m retired. I’m retired.’”

Guerrero’s body was found shortly before 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, on the grounds behind an apartment building on Stratford Avenue between Westchester Avenue and East 172nd Street, according to police. Officers responded to a report of an unconscious woman and pronounced her dead at the scene.

Police have not released details about how Guerrero died. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

Family members, friends and community members gathered Friday night for a vigil, calling on police to provide answers.

Sources and relatives said Guerrero worked as an elementary school teacher. Loved ones described her as hardworking and said she had a bright future ahead of her. Her family is now making funeral arrangements.

Neighbors in the building complex said they were stunned by the discovery.

“I’m just sorry for her family and stuff like that,” one neighbor told NY1. “But who did it?”

Another neighbor said they were surprised to learn the woman did not live in the building.

Pacheco said she believes someone knows what happened to her daughter.

“I used to tell her, don’t trust people so much,” she said.

Police said the investigation remains ongoing and have not announced any arrests or identified suspects.