The 2024 Homicide Victim List is available here

Police said the family of Nadia Vitels, 52, went to her apartment on East 31st St. near Third Ave. on March 14th at approximately 4:30 p.m after not hearing from her for 48 hours.

According to reports, Vitels son Michael Medvedev, contacted the building’s superintendent Jean Pompee, who let him into the apartment.

Upon entry to the apartment, the son located Vitel’s dog alone. Her son and the other men searched around the apartment for Vitel when they located a duffel bag on the floor of a closet with a coat over it. When they moved the coat they saw a foot.

Paramedics were called to the scene and pronounced Vitels deceased. An autopsy was conducted on March 15th, and revealed that Nadia Vitels died from blunt force trauma to the head.

Police obtained a search warrant for the apartment, and located several garbage bags containing Vitels belongings in the unit’s basement trash area.

According to the New York Post Vitel was in the process of moving into the apartment on March 10th, and was seen on CCTV with her belongings before leaving at around 11:00am. Police said the suspects were seen on surveillance trying to enter the building at around 2:00pm on March 10th. They were seen from an elevator surveillance camera entering Vitels apartment at approximately 3:00pm. The suspects then fled in Vitel’s car at around 5:45 p.m. that evening.

Update April 4th: NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny announced that Halley Tejada, 19, and Kensly Alston, 18, were arrested in Pennsylvania and are being extradited to face charges. Police said the pair fled in Vitel’s car following the murder and made their way to Pennsylvania where they crashed the vehicle. Investigators were able to track their movements through credit card useage.

Anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.