A five-year-old boy and his parents were found stabbed to death on Sunday morning in the Bronx.
The bodies of Jonathan Rivera, 38, Hanoi Peralta, 33, and Kayden Rivera, 5, were found inside an apartment building on 674 East 136th Street in Mott Haven at 8 a.m.
Mr Rivera was discovered in the hallway covered in blood with several stab wounds.
While Ms Peralta and Kayden were found dead inside their first-floor apartment in the same building.
Neighbour Paulette Williams said: ‘I heard people talking about they heard loud fighting and arguing, and then it stopped — and that’s when they found out they were dead,’ she added.
The bodies of Jonathan Rivera, 38 (right) Hanoi Peralta, 33 (left) and their son Kayden Rivera, 5, were found on Sunday morning in the Bronx
Police removing one of the victims from the scene. Mr Rivera was discovered in the hallway covered in blood with several stab wounds
They were found at an apartment building on 674 East 136th Street in Mott Haven at 8 a.m (pictured)
Police cordon off the scene outside the building
Hours after the grisly discovery was made, the former superintendent of the building fondly reminisced on his interactions with Kayden as he went to and from school.
‘I play with him every day,’ said Jose Torres. ‘That’s my little buddy there.’
Torres, 60, believes the family moved to the building about five years ago.
‘They always go out together,’ he said. ‘I never had no problem with none of them.’
Police presence at the scene
Dahan Ali owns a deli in the building and knows all the victims, said: ‘I would always see her every morning at 7, 7:30 when I came she would take her son to school, with her son every morning.’
People living in the building say the family kept to themselves and that they never saw any problems between the couple or their little boy.
Ms Ali continued: ‘Lovely boy, very lovely — saw home day before yesterday, he took a cookie, I said ‘where is your father?’ He said outside.’
The medical examiner has determined the cause of death as homicide.
The investigation is ongoing.