Police are hunting for a person of interest in the murder of a woman whose body was found in a duffel bag on the side of the road in New York City over the weekend.
The body of Orsolya Gaal, 51, was found in a neighborhood not far from her home in Queens. The mother of two was stabbed 58 times in the neck, torso and left arm, law enforcement sources told NBC New York.
Home security camera footage obtained by NBC New York of a person wheeling a duffel bag down 75th Avenue may show the person responsible for Gaal's murder, police sources told the station.
The person of interest is a man who knew Gaal and had access to her home, multiple law enforcement sources told NBC New York. The sources told WNBC that the suspect is believed to have sent Gaal's husband a threatening message from her cell phone around 5 a.m. on Saturday, April 16, the day Gaal's body was found.
A jogger discovered the duffel bag shortly before 8:30 a.m. and called 911. Authorities followed a trail of blood to Gaal's home a half-mile away, police said.
Gaal's husband and oldest son were visiting colleges on the West Coast. Police believe their 13-year-old son may have been home when she was killed.
Friends and neighbors were left in shock by Gaal's death, which has been classified as a homicide by the medical examiner's office.
"I will always remember how passionate you were about your boys and their education," one person wrote on Gaal's Facebook page.
"We were just on the phone together just days ago speaking about colleges," another wrote. "My heart is broken."
Gaal's murder comes as overall crime has risen more than 43% year over year in New York City, although homicides are down 8.2%, according to the latest report by the NYPD.
"It's heartbreaking, heartbreaking," one neighbor told NBC News. "And by the day it only gets worse."