Investigators were back at the scene Monday, standing outside of the Wakefield apartment where police said 40-year-old Tamara Rowe was fatally stabbed Saturday night.

 

Sources told News 12 that authorities were waiting for a search warrant to recover cellphones from the sixth-floor apartment at East 232nd Street. 

 

Neighbors said the victim had two young daughters. 

 

“It’s very sad, and I’m still in shock,” said one woman, who asked not to be identified. “It’s something that you don’t expect.” 

 

“I was really heartbroken to know something like that was going on in the building, because this is a quiet building, basically,” said another woman, who only identified herself as Ms. Scott. 

 

Police sources said the incident was a domestic dispute, and Rowe’s boyfriend stabbed her in the chest and right arm. The mother was pronounced dead at a local hospital.   

 

Tenants and the building super confirmed to News 12 that surveillance video showed Rowe’s boyfriend leaving the building Saturday just minutes before police arrived.  

 

As of Monday, authorities have not officially released the boyfriend’s name as the suspect. 

 

Multiple neighbors said Rowe was working on getting her green card, most of her family was living back in Jamaica, and she worked at a restaurant in Queens. 

 

“[She was] a lovely woman, very hard worker and happy, a happy woman,” said the unidentified neighbor.  

 

The neighbor said she never sensed that there was an issue between the mother and boyfriend.  

 

“The family used to be happy, no problems, no signs at all,” the woman said.