Woman found tied up in Upper West Side home strangled to death: medical examiner

An Upper West Side grandmother found dead with her hands and feet tied was strangled to death, the city medical examiner said Saturday.

Maria Hernandez, 74, was discovered by her devastated younger sister around 7 p.m. Wednesday, hours after they attended a Broadway matinee and had an early dinner.

According to police, the victim’s hands and feet were tied and his mouth was gagged. She was pronounced dead at her residence at W. 83rd St. near Columbus Avenue.

Maria Hernandez

An autopsy later revealed that Hernandez died from “fatal asphyxia, including neck compression,” a spokeswoman for the city’s medical examiner said.

Detectives ruled her death a homicide.

The beloved Dominican immigrant had three daughters, eight grandchildren and a one-year-old great-grandchild, devastated family members told the Daily News.

“She was a wonderful person, a wonderful woman,” said her sister, Maria Tirredo, 72, who found her sister’s body three hours after they said goodbye. “She is kind, loving, caring. Anything you can imagine can be a good person.”

Maria Hernandez

Tirredo also lives at W. 83rd St., but in a different apartment. She went to check on her sister after Hernandez’s niece called her and said she couldn’t get through to her mother.

Whoever killed Hernandez rummaged through her bedroom drawers, but it wasn’t immediately clear if anything had been stolen. Police believe she died during the robbery.

The building manager said that someone used a crowbar to get into the basement and pull out a video recorder with CCTV footage, apparently to cover their tracks.

There were no signs of forced entry in her apartment, so Hernandez may have known the assailant, police suggested.

No arrests were made.

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