Full Breakdown
Bay Ridge Mother Found Dead with Neck Slashed; Investigation Ongoing
6/22/2026, 12:44:38 AM
Fatal Slashing on 85th Street
On Saturday morning, June 20, 2026, NYPD officers responded to a two-story apartment at 85th Street near Fourth Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Inside, they found 36-year-old Maria Santos Flores with a neck laceration; EMS pronounced her dead at the scene. Police have classified the case as a homicide, with no arrests and no identified motive.
Neighborhood Context
Bay Ridge is a residential area known for low violent-crime rates. Residents described the block as “quiet, tree-lined” and expressed shock that a homicide occurred where “everybody knows each other.” The investigation prompted an unusually large police presence, including the NYPD Crime Scene Unit, to seek surveillance footage.
Victim and Family
Maria Santos Flores, a Salvadoran-born bartender at Huatulco Sports Bar in Sunset Park, was married to warehouse worker Antonio Hernandez and mother of two. Sources differ on the children’s ages, citing either an 18-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter or a 17-year-old son and a 3-year-old child. Family members described Flores as “a great mother” who “liked to help people and took care of her family.” No items were reported missing.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the ages of Flores’s children. One report lists an 18-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter; another cites a 17-year-old son and a 3-year-old child. No further clarification has been provided.
Timeline of the Morning
- ~9:00 a.m.: Sister discovers body near staircase, calls 911.
- 9:12 a.m.: NYPD secures scene, begins evidence collection.
- Shortly after: EMS confirms death; police announce homicide investigation.
- Evening: Detectives canvass for video; neighbors gather outside.
Crime Data in the 68th Precinct
The killing is the first murder recorded by the NYPD’s 68th Precinct in 2026. Citywide, murders have dropped 23 % year-to-date, from 144 in 2025 to 111.
Official Statements & Responses
The NYPD confirmed the case is a homicide, that evidence teams collected items including a bloody tissue outside the building, and that no suspect has been identified. Further details remain withheld pending investigation.
On-the-Ground Reports
Residents voiced unease and disbelief. One neighbor said, “I would never expect anything like that to happen around here,” while another called the scene “just awful, like I’m dreaming.” Long-time locals stressed the rarity of such violence in Bay Ridge.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I can't even imagine. I can't even imagine. Such a sad way to go,” — Unnamed neighbor
- “Seeing something as big as this happen, so close to where I live, too, it's just like, I'm not really sure how to process it,” — Steven La, resident
- “Everybody knows each other. Everybody here has lived here for over 30, 40 years, so it's really not common for this to happen here,” — Ismail Khalio, resident
- “We don’t understand what happened.” — Daisy Flores, sister
- “I don’t know if it’s a robbery or she fell down, I’m not sure,” — Antonio Hernandez, husband
What’s Next
Detectives are reviewing nearby surveillance footage and analyzing the recovered tissue. Police have asked the public to share any information that could assist the investigation.
