Disabled Woman Murdered In Marcus Garvey Park, Mother Of Six-Year Old

Nina Rivera - 29, was found naked under a pile of leaves in Marcus Garvery Park on Wednesday at approx. 8:45am. On Friday the Medical Examiner classified the incident as a homicide. Ms. Rivera - who lived with her six-year old son a few blocks away from the park - was strangled an autopsy revealed. Police have not made any arrests but have questioned several people, including her new boyfriend. The family told the Daily News that Rivera had suffered four strokes and had been partially paralyzed by one of them.

Manhattan

The naked woman found dead in a Harlem park overcame a series of disabilities to become a devoted mother - only to be coldly murdered, her body dumped under a pile of leaves, police and relatives said Saturday, according to the New York Daily News.

Nina Rivera's body was found at the base of a rocky hill in Marcus Garvey Park early Wednesday. An autopsy revealed she had been strangled, police said.

Rivera's family said the 29-year-old woman overcame a life of hardship - including four strokes, the most recent of which left her partially paralyzed - to become a loving mother to her 6-year-old son.

"She proved them wrong," said her aunt Evelyn Rivera, who said doctors told Nina Rivera she would never be able to have a child.

"In spite of all the conditions she had, she was so strong - her heart, her mind," said Evelyn Rivera, 50. "This is a young lady who suffered from medical issues her whole life, and for her to go this way is just horrific."

Read More:

Strangled woman had overcame series of strokes to become a loving mother

New York Daily News - November 28, 2010 - By Henrick Karoliszyn and Jonathan Lemire

Disabled Woman Found Dead in Marcus Garvey Park Had Been Strangled, Say Police

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