A 52-year-old woman’s body was found stuffed inside a duffel bag in her Kips Bay apartment in Manhattan, New York, on Thursday, March 14, 2023. 

Concerned after several days without contact, the family of Nadia Vital visited the E. 31st St. apartment near Third Ave. in Kips Bay, where she was subleasing, arriving around 4:30 p.m., police and other sources reported.

Accompanied by Vital’s brother, the group entered the apartment with the assistance of the building superintendent, Jean Pompee.

Pompee told the Daily News, “Upon opening the door, only the dog was inside. She would never leave the dog by itself.”

Vital’s brother and the group searched the apartment. Pompee noted, “They discovered a bag in the closet. Upon inspection, they realized it contained a woman’s body and informed me that the area was now a crime scene.”

Emergency medical technicians, once on the scene, declared Vital deceased within the apartment. The city’s Medical Examiner will determine Vital’s cause of death.

Security footage from the building suggests Vitel last entered on March 10. Further video evidence indicates a man and a woman entering Vitel’s building and her apartment on the same day.

This couple, suspected to be in their 20s, was last seen leaving the building two days later. An examination of Vitel’s apartment and the surrounding area of the building led to the finding of personal items in the trash disposal area of the building.

As the New York Police Department (NYPD) delves into this case, many questions remain unanswered, including whether there was any forced entry into Vitel’s apartment or signs of trauma on her body. The NYPD has encouraged anyone with information to come forward as they seek to piece together the final days of Vitel’s life, underlining the community’s role in aiding the ongoing investigation.