The death of a 40-year-old woman whose battered, lifeless body was found inside a Brooklyn basement apartment has been ruled a homicide, the city’s medical examiner said Wednesday.
Erika Miranda-Tlacua died from homicidal violence that included blunt-force trauma to the head and torso, according to a spokeswoman for the medical examiner.
The victim was found inside a basement apartment on 64th St. near 16th Ave. in Bensonhurst at 3:42 a.m. on Aug. 1, cops said.
A neighbor said people were partying in the apartment the night before the woman’s body was found.
“It happened down in the basement. People were partying down there all day long the night before,” said the neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous. “In the early morning, they found the woman dead.”
Another neighbor said the apartment was deserted when police arrived.
“She lived there with people we thought were her family. There was no one else in the apartment when the police came,” said the neighbor. “Cops said they were still trying to figure out what happened to her.
There have been no arrests.
The victim’s cousin launched a GoFundMe that raised $540 as of Wednesday evening for her burial.
“Our beloved cousin was the victim of an act of violence that has left us devastated,” a translation of the GoFundMe, which was written in Spanish, reads. “Her passing was sudden and painful, and we now face the challenge of raising the necessary funds to cover expenses and bring her body home, so we can give her the dignified farewell she deserves.”