Karen Ashley, Brooklyn Nurse, Found Dead Inside Car; Husband In Custody, Cops Say

EAST NEW YORK, BROOKLYN — A 45-year-old woman was found dead with her throat slashed in the driver's seat of a parked vehicle in East New York, Brooklyn late Tuesday night, the New York Police Department said.

Police responded to a 911 call reporting an unconscious person inside a vehicle in front of 1473 Blake Avenue at 11:53 p.m. Tuesday.

The victim was found unresponsive in the driver's seat of a gold 2004 Nissan Maxima with her throat slashed and emergency responders pronounced her dead at the scene, police said.

The victim's identity has not been release pending notification to her family members.

The woman's children and a friend, Dianne Russel, arrived on scene to positively identify her, News 12 The Bronx reported.

Russel told News 12 that the victim was a nurse returning home after her shift, and was afraid her estranged husband was following her. The victim called Russel just before she was murdered stating that her husband was in the car.

The victim's husband turned himself into police and he is being questioned as a person of interest, NYPD said.

The victim was killed in the NYPD's 75th Precinct, which patrols the East New York sections of Cypress Hills, Starrett City and City Line. According to official police statistics, through Sept. 4, murders were nearly unchanged in the 75th compared to the same time period last year.

Through that date, 16 murders had been recorded in the precinct, compared to 15 murders during the same period in 2015.

Anyone with information about the slashing can confidentially report it using the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers website or by anonymously calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

Los hispanohablantes pueden llamar 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Tips can also be text-messaged to the NYPD by texting 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577.

Lead image courtesy of Nick Allen/Flickr