Who killed Orsolya Gaal? Body of Queens mom, 51, found in blood-soaked duffel bag
QUEENS, NEW YORK: In a gory discovery, a woman’s body was found inside a blood-soaked duffel back early on Saturday, April 16, in Forest Hills. The body of Orsolya Gaal, 51, a mom-of-two, was discovered near a popular walking path in the Queens neighborhood, triggering fear among residents. Police are considering the possibility that she may have been killed by a male relative. No arrests have been made in the case. However, the woman's husband and son are reportedly being hunted by the NYPD in connection with her death.
According to police sources, a teenager who lives half a mile from the scene, on Juno Street, was at the local precinct in connection with the murder. The father was on his way to the station. “[My son] is safe. Thank God [my son] is safe,” New York Post quoted the father as saying. The father also said that his family’s “lives are at stake.” “There are concerns about our safety,” he claimed, without elaborating. “Our lives are at risk.”
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The horrifying scene was discovered by Glenn Van Nostrand, 51, while he was walking his two dogs through nearby Forest Park. He initially thought the bag had simply been discarded but decided to take a look after his dogs, two Rhodesian ridgebacks, Philip and Iris, began to get agitated. “They are scent hounds,” Van said. “They see the world through their noses.”
When he opened the bag, he saw a foot and a hip, still attached. “But to me it looked like a mannequin,” he said. “It didn’t look very fleshy. It was more like a crash test dummy. I thought it was maybe some equipment being used for something. I didn’t think anything of it.”
Van then noticed black, ankle-length jeans, a belt and a woman’s waist. The body was reportedly in a fetal position inside the bag with wheels. However, Van eventually noticed blood on the other side of the bag after he opened it. “I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness,’ and called police at 8:05 a.m. and said there’s a body in this bag,’” he said.
Van dropped off his dogs at home and went with the detectives to the precinct to give a full report. However, at the time he was trying to walk home with his dogs, they led him to a spot about 100 yards from where the body was found, on Metropolitan Avenue near the Jackie Robinson Parkway. This where he noticed fresh blood.“Some of the cops followed me and the dogs to it,” he said.
The duffel bag had reportedly been leaking blood, and authorities were investigating a blood trail that led to the Juno Street home. "It’s shocking,” Van said. “My personal feeling is a broken heart for whoever this is. My heart was in my throat the entire time.”
A woman who knew the victim, Nicola Blankson, recalled about her, "She was pretty calm, sociable. She was out there living her life and making sure her kids were well looked after like any mother would." Blankson, who is possibly a neighbor, added. "This is the last thing I’d expect to wake up to in the morning. To wake up to this is just devastating.”
“It’s freaky. As a woman, it’s scary. You listen to true crime stuff and you don’t want to see it in real life, especially in your neighborhood,” said resident Linda Gorniaczyk. Another local, who was planning to move to Florida before the discovery, said that she cannot wait to leave New York now. “It’s absolutely horrifying,” event planner Mara Newman said. “Nothing like this would happen in this neighborhood. People pay a lot of money to live in Forest Hills. I’m sick to my stomach. I don’t feel safe. I’m not going to be walking here at night. I can’t believe there is a . . . body thrown on the side of the road.”