On April 24, the police found the decomposing body of a young Bronx woman inside her apartment. The cops responded to an unrelated incident on April 11 inside the E. 187th St. Building near Belmont Ave. and they discovered victim Dominique Ben-David, after smelling a foul odor coming from her home around 2 a.m.
The police ruled the death of the 22-year-old woman as a homicide although investigators do not know how she was murdered due to the ghastly condition of her corpse. Brefnews reports that the body is armless and it appears that it was nibbled by rats since she had been in that state for days.
Complaint from neighbors
A next-door neighbor stated that she first noticed the foul odor about two to three weeks before the body of Ben-David was found, and she recalled how the victim and her boyfriend fought frequently.
The neighbor, who declined to share her name, recounted the incident and said that she didn't know who was beating who but the fight sounded like he was beating the victim. The neighbor added that she was just trying to mind her own business, but she knew that there was something a little off about the whole situation. When the police showed up she knew that was the smell she was smelling.
Ben-David shared the apartment with a man, another woman, and a child for the last six months, according to the neighbor. The neighbor said that she often heard a lot of screaming, the sound of plates crashing against walls and furniture getting knocked over.
Four months ago, Ben-David wrote several cryptic Facebook messages and she made reference to a troubled relationship that she predicted would not end well. On December 11, 2019, she wrote "This past ride was crazy, I still want him ... I long for this danger wildman and this love will definitely be the death of me. I can't stop going back for more."
The mother of the victim is heartbroken and confirmed that her daughter's unusual living arrangements without getting into details of their relationship. Shana Ben-David, the 49-year-old mother of the victim, told Daily News that her daughter was beautiful and creative and she was everything. She danced, drew and sang. She was an artist who was sweet and with a heart of gold. She wants the person who did the murder to be held accountable.
Unfortunately, there has been no arrest made. The neighbor recalled how the victim's apartment went silent two weeks ago. She said that it was so quiet that it was creepy. No one coming in or out of that apartment. The walls of the apartment are thin so when someone knocks a cup over you are going to hear ti. The neighbor said that she is still shaken up with what happened.
Domestic violence in the US
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, as many as one in four women and one in nine men are victims of domestic violence in the United States. Domestic violence is thought to be underreported as some victims are hesitant to file a case against their abusers.
Police reports also show that between 960,000 and 3,000,000 incidents of domestic violence are reported every year, while other incidents go unreported. It is also estimated that more than 10 million people experience domestic violence in the U.S. every year.
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