Editor’s note: Chad Irish was charged with concealment of a corpse Tuesday. Get the latest here. Below is our reporting from Monday.
NEW YORK — Family and friends are speaking out after a woman’s body was found wrapped in a sleeping bag on a New York City street.
Yazmeen Williams was found Friday just before 5 p.m. on 27th Street between Second and Third avenues. Police were initially called about a suspicious package on the curb. They found a sleeping bag partially covered by a trash bag. The 31-year-old’s body was discovered inside.
According to the medical examiner’s office, Williams died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Police confirm they have a person of interest in custody. Investigators were seen Monday evening going in and out of a building around the corner from where Williams was found, though police sources say it’s unclear where the killing took place.
Police sources say a man was seen on video pulling the bag on a motorized wheelchair. Several people said Williams was friends with a man who uses a wheelchair in the neighborhood, where she grew up and lived nearby.
“We want justice for Yazzy”
A makeshift memorial has been set up near where Yazmeen Williams’ body was found. She was just about to start a new job at the city’s Department of Housing Preservation on Monday.
“She was looking so forward to living, living her life,” her mother, Nicole Williams, said. “She got her degree in criminal justice. She went to Buffalo State University, and she wanted to go back to be a lawyer.”
Williams had a twin brother and a little sister.
“She used to always take good care of me, and she used to always be proud of me. She was the best sister I could have, and I love her so much. I just wish she could’ve stayed a little longer because I just wanted to grow up with her,” her little sister said.
“You could always catch her on the Citi Bike. She had a beautiful voice,” one person who knew Williams said. “No one would have a reason to hurt her like that.”
“Everyone she knew, she meant something to them,” said another. “She just really loved life. I don’t know who would do this to her.”
“The longer it stays unaddressed or unsolved, the longer it adds to people’s anxieties,” one man said.
“We want justice for Yazzy,” her mother said.
