A 31-year-old woman was found dead early Tuesday inside an abandoned home in South Jamaica, Queens, after suffering multiple stab wounds to her left arm. Responding EMS units pronounced her dead at the scene, and police have not released her identity pending family notification.
According to amNewYork, 113th Precinct officers responded to the residence near Rockaway Boulevard and 145th Street after receiving a 911 call about a person needing assistance. Law enforcement sources told the outlet the discovery was made at 2:40 a.m. Tuesday. Separate broadcast reporting from Apple Podcasts adds that the woman was discovered inside the vacant house and that her male companion was the one who dialed 911; that report noted law enforcement had not officially classified the death as suspicious as of early September.
The victim's body was transferred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death, the report states. No arrests have been made, police said, and the investigation remains ongoing. Under New York City Charter regulations, the OCME is required to conduct postmortem examinations whenever a death occurs from criminal violence or under sudden, unusual, or suspicious circumstances, and the office operates independently of the NYPD in determining official cause and mechanism of death.
A Precinct Already Seeing More Major Crime
The stabbing lands in a precinct that has already logged a notable jump in serious offenses this year. Midyear crime analysis published by Vital City found that major crime in the 113th Precinct, which covers South Jamaica, rose 22.4 percent — 124 additional reported incidents — during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, one of the larger percentage increases logged across the city.
That local uptick stands in contrast to citywide trends. Municipal crime statistics show New York City's murders dropped nearly 25 percent in the first half of 2026 compared with 2025, with the city recording 122 murders in that span versus 162 a year earlier — the lowest six-month murder total in modern city history, according to figures released by the city.
The Neighborhood's Long Road From the Crack Era
South Jamaica carries a difficult history with violent crime. The neighborhood was officially designated Queens' largest poverty area in 1972 and endured severe violence during the 1980s crack cocaine epidemic, according to background compiled by Wikipedia. Major crime in the 113th Precinct fell 76 percent between 1993 and 2010, though high-profile violence in the neighborhood in 1988 had prompted citywide policing initiatives including Tactical Narcotics Teams.
Community-based efforts continue alongside police work. Research from the John Jay College Research and Evaluation Center identifies LIFE Camp, Inc. as the organization spearheading violence interruption in the area, operating the South Jamaica Cure Violence program within the 113th Precinct to mediate street disputes and prevent retaliation. The group was founded in 2002 and adjusted its precinct focus in 2013 to concentrate on violent hotspots.
Oversight records also color the backdrop. An analysis of Civilian Complaint Review Board data published by The Orlow Firm found the 113th Precinct logged 2,209 police misconduct complaints between 2000 and 2025, ranking second highest among all Queens precincts, with the 103rd and 113th precincts together accounting for more than 22 percent of all Queens civilian complaints over that 25-year span.
What Happens Next
If detectives develop a case, prosecution would fall to the Queens District Attorney's Homicide Bureau, which coordinates directly with the NYPD 113th Precinct Detective Squad and Queens Homicide Squad on fatal violent crime investigations within the precinct, according to the Queens District Attorney's 2025 Annual Report. For now, the medical examiner's autopsy findings, the identity of the 911 caller, and whether investigators establish any suspects or domestic history tied to the property remain open questions.
The case also arrives months after another fatal stabbing tested the precinct's homicide unit. In a St. Albans triple-stabbing case, a landlord was sentenced in June to three life terms without parole for the November 2023 fatal stabbings of his girlfriend and two tenants, after surrendering at the 113th Precinct stationhouse.
