WEST NEW YORK AND BEYOND — The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office has officially ruled the death of a 30-year-old mother of two over the weekend a homicide. Maria Gutierrez Cabrera was found dead in a vacant apartment across from her own on Buchanan Place on Sunday morning.
“Information from the preliminary report indicates strangulation,” said Prosecutor Ed De Fazio. “It is a homicide.”
Gutierrez’s body was discovered by her boyfriend, who contacted a relative living in another apartment in the building. The relative then called West New York Police. The prosecutor said that Gutierrez was found on the floor near the entrance of the vacant apartment, fully clothed and there was no indication that she was robbed or sexually assaulted. No drugs or drug paraphernalia were found in the apartment where her body was found.
“We have ascertained that she was dropped off after work by a couple of co-workers shortly after 2 a.m.,” said De Fazio. Gutierrez worked at a tavern in Union City, but the name of the tavern is not being released at this point.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about this matter should call the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office’s Homicide Squad at (201) 915-1345.