A 25-year-old man with autism was found dead with slash wounds inside his family's Woodside, Queens apartment Wednesday morning, hours after his mother was discovered badly injured in the street beneath the Van Wyck Expressway. No arrests have been made as investigators work to determine what happened inside the home on 59th Street, and whether the two events are connected.
Bryan Wong's father found his son's body inside the apartment the family shared near Laurel Hill Boulevard, according to NBC New York, which reported he was discovered just before 9 a.m. Wednesday. The New York Post reported a slightly earlier timeline, citing cops and sources who said Wong was found around 8 a.m. inside the walk-up building. Wong was nonverbal, according to abc7ny.com, which reported he was found dead with slash wounds Wednesday morning.
Wong had cuts on both wrists and on the left side of his neck, according to the New York Post, which cited cops and sources describing multiple slash wounds. The victim, believed to be non-verbal, suffered those injuries according to a separate account from nydailynews.com. Investigators recovered at least three knives at the scene, one in the living room and two in the bathroom, per the Post's sourcing.
Mother Found Injured Beneath the Van Wyck
Hours tied to the discovery of Wong's body, his 62-year-old mother was found injured in the street under the Van Wyck Expressway near Harper Street, in what the Post's sources described as occurring around 4 a.m. with a fractured pelvis and femur. The same outlet reported a nearby driver found the mother's disabled gray Hyundai on the north side of the expressway. Nydailynews.com reported she was taken to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital with fractures to her pelvis and femur, while police told the Post she was hospitalized in stable condition.
Police were investigating whether Wong's mother was involved in his death, according to NBC New York, which also reported that she may have jumped from an overpass on the Van Wyck Expressway in an apparent attempt to take her life. The Post's sources went further, describing investigators as treating the case as a murder and attempted suicide. No charges had been filed against her as of Wednesday, and NBC New York reported that no arrests had yet been made and the investigation remained ongoing.
Note Found at the Scene Raises Questions
Investigators discovered a note referencing Wong and his financial information, according to sourcing cited by the Post. But accounts of the note's origin diverge: NBC New York reported it was not immediately clear what the note said or who wrote it. Wong's official cause of death remained under investigation, and nydailynews.com noted that his death had not officially been ruled a homicide even as police sources examined his mother's possible role.
