A Jamaican woman was fatally stabbed in her Bronx apartment Saturday night in what police sources have described as a suspected case of domestic violence.
The victim has been identified as 40-year-old Tamara Rowe, a former employee of The Gleaner newspaper in Jamaica. She was reportedly found inside her apartment at 667 E. 232nd Street in the Wakefield section of the Bronx with stab wounds to her chest and right arm.
Emergency responders rushed Rowe to a nearby hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. Authorities said Rowe’s two-year-old child was at home at the time of the stabbing. She also leaves behind a 10-year-old child.
Neighbors told local media that Rowe lived in the apartment with her two daughters and their father. The man has not been seen since the incident, though police have not officially named him as a suspect. Surveillance footage reportedly captured a man fleeing the building using the stairs around the same time the stabbing is believed to have occurred.
Officers continued their investigation on Sunday, with police personnel entering and exiting the apartment in shifts. Blood stains could be seen outside the apartment door, marking what police called a gruesome confrontation.
“I just saw like a whole bunch of police. I saw the ambulance,” said neighbor Tasha Shaw. “To know that she was murdered in her apartment, it’s sad.”
Residents who knew Rowe described her as quiet, respectful, and hardworking. One neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said he was devastated by the news.
“I was just shocked because she is a cool lady. Like, she doesn’t seem to be someone that would be in any problems,” another neighbor said.
The building superintendent reportedly told media outlets that surveillance footage showed a man running from the location on Saturday night.
Rowe had migrated to the United States about three years ago and had been living in the apartment with the children’s father for roughly four years, neighbors said. One friend noted that he had never seen the couple argue.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted anonymously via www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or through direct message on Twitter at @NYPDTips.
