Police took a person of interest into custody as detectives investigated the death of Tania Morales in Kew Gardens Hills.
NEW YORK — A 24-year-old woman died after police found her unconscious with serious head injuries inside her Queens home Monday night, and detectives took a person of interest into custody as they investigated the circumstances surrounding her death.
Tania Morales was found at about 8:30 p.m. Oct. 26 after officers from the New York Police Department’s 107th Precinct responded to a report of an assault at a residence on Park Drive East near Jewel Avenue in Kew Gardens Hills. Police said Morales had trauma to her head and a cut on her wrist. Emergency medical workers took her in critical condition to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
The NYPD said a person of interest was taken into custody but did not initially identify that person or publicly describe the person’s relationship to Morales. News reports citing law enforcement sources identified the person being questioned as Morales’ 22-year-old husband. As of the latest reports reviewed Wednesday, authorities had not announced formal charges against him or publicly released his name.
Law enforcement sources cited by the New York Post and amNewYork said investigators were examining an argument between Morales and her husband before she was injured. Those sources alleged that the husband had accused Morales of being unfaithful. That allegation has not been established as fact, and police had not publicly announced a motive in the case.
The same sources said the husband later contacted his mother and claimed Morales had tried to stab him before he struck her with a pole. His mother then went to the home and contacted authorities, according to those reports. Those details came from unnamed law enforcement sources and had not been presented as findings by prosecutors or in a public court proceeding. Authorities had not announced whether investigators accepted the husband’s account of what happened.
Police had also not publicly released a full sequence of events leading to Morales’ injuries. Investigators were expected to examine evidence from the home, witness accounts and other available information to determine what occurred. The manner and official cause of Morales’ death had not been publicly announced in the reports reviewed Wednesday.
The incident occurred within the 107th Precinct, which covers several neighborhoods in central Queens, including Kew Gardens Hills. Police remained at the Park Drive East location as investigators processed the scene following Morales’ death. News footage recorded the next day showed NYPD personnel working outside the residence.
Published reports said the person of interest remained under investigation Tuesday while detectives worked to establish the circumstances of Morales’ death. Being questioned or held as a person of interest does not establish criminal responsibility, and no finding of guilt had been made.
As of Wednesday, the investigation remained ongoing. Police had not announced an arrest or formal criminal charge in the death, and additional details about the case could change as detectives complete interviews and review evidence.
Author note: Last updated October 28, 2026.