The family of Pamela Guerrero held a Feb. 19 rally demanding answers about the 29-year-old’s death, with her grieving mother saying she’s received no word from the police or medical examiner since Guerrero’s body was found on Dec. 21.
Guerrero’s mother, Paulina Pacheco, stood outside 1235 Stratford Ave. in Soundview, where she said her daughter was found in the cellar. “I want justice for my daughter. I want answers,” she said in Spanish with an English interpreter.
The Bronx Times attempted to contact an owner or manager for 1235 Stratford Ave. but was unable to reach anyone, and the NYPD did not respond to request for comment. The medical examiner said in emails to the Bronx Times on Jan. 23 and Feb. 24 that the cause of death was still pending.
Pacheco said the police told her early on that a fall caused Guerrero’s death — but Pacheco doesn’t buy it. She and other family members maintain that Guerrero was murdered and are calling on the public for help in providing answers about why Guerrero went into that building, who may have called or texted her that night, or any other useful information.
At the rally, Pacheco said she has suffered physical and mental health problems since her daughter died. Not hearing updates about the investigation has worsened her suffering, she said.
“No one has reached out to me or said anything to me,” Pacheco said. “It’s been two months.”
Pacheco described her daughter as a “hardworking woman” who was studying criminal justice and wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. She also previously worked in an elementary school, and several former colleagues attended her Jan. 23 funeral.
Pacheco, who lives a few blocks away at 1155 Morrison Ave., said she was told that Pamela’s body had multiple bruises but no apparent gunshot or stab wounds. Pacheco said she has not been allowed access to her daughter’s cell phone or other belongings from the night she died.
Bishop Boyde Singletary, who has worked closely with Pacheco and her sons who live out of state, said a building employee discovered Guerrero’s body in the cellar, which is visible through a mesh gate at street level.
The gate was locked at he time of the rally, and it is unclear whether it was locked when Pamela was found, but the locked gate and front door seemed to suggest that someone let her into the building, he said.
Singletary said it was “mind-boggling” that “not a detective, not a captain, has reached out to Ms. Pacheco or her sons regarding what happened to Pamela.”
“Her daughter was found dead December 21. We are now in February. Two months, no check-in, no wellness check, no call, nothing. We want answers,” he said.
He also called for a “full investigation” of the building and any surveillance footage that may have been captured.
Until then, Pacheco said a phrase she has uttered several times in the months since her daughter’s mysterious death: “Somebody knows something.”
“My life is not the same. She was my everything, my only daughter.”
This story was updated at 4:25 p.m. to include the medical examiner’s comment that the cause of death remains pending.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
