Who was Azalea Rivas? Brooklyn mom and daughter, 14, found dead in their apartment with 'blood everywhere'
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK: Azalea Rivas, 37, her 14-year-old daughter, and the family’s dog - a terrier and poodle mix - were discovered dead in their Brooklyn apartment on Monday.
After receiving a 911 call at 2.33 pm on Monday, September 25, the dispatchers reached the apartment situated at Brooklyn's New York Avenue in Little Haiti to find the horrifying sight of “blood everywhere.”
How did Azalea Rivas die?
While the case is still under investigation, the New York Police Department said in a statement that Rivas’ body was found in the living room with a slash across her face.
Her teenage daughter’s body was discovered face down with several head injuries, reports Daily Mail.
The neighbors shared that while the mother sustained a stab wound, the daughter died due to “severe head trauma,” per Mirror.
The dog’s body was found in the bedroom with a plastic bag covering its head. It is presumed that the animal was suffocated to death.
Both victims had been missing since Friday, September 22. A 38-year-old man made the discovery of the dead bodies on Monday.
He told the police that after receiving a call from a concerned male member of the family, he went on to check Rivas. When he did not receive any answer, he broke the door to find the horrific scene.
After placing the call, the dispatchers responded immediately.
In a call recorded at around 2.45 pm on Monday, the dispatcher is heard warning the police, “Two females at the location, unconscious; blood is everywhere... they've been missing since Friday.”
The call has since been shared on the Citizen App.
Per various news sources and the neighbors, all the victims were dead for days.
No arrest has been made so far. Police were stationed outside the building till Monday evening.
‘We heard screaming, the dog whimpering’
Though the bodies were discovered on Monday, the victims had been missing since Friday.
A downstairs neighbor named Steve Schor, 38, told The Daily News that he woke up at around 7.20 am on Friday because of chilling screams and a dog’s whimpering.
He told the news outlet, “We got woken up by loud banging and screaming.”
Schor continued, “We called 911 and the police came. When they went upstairs, no one answered. All they heard was loud music.”
He also recalled the incident to NBC 4, "We heard screaming, the dog whimpering. I vividly remember telling 911, it sounds like someone was getting killed upstairs.”
He told The Daily News that the officers left after multiple knocks.
Schor added, “After the banging, we heard the dog crying and whimpering and then it just stopped,” before continuing, “What I heard was pretty grotesque.”
Schor expressed his sympathy for the slain family and concluded, "I'm heavily distraught for the family. I can only hope they catch this guy."