Holly MatkinQueens, NY – The body of a 51-year-old stay-at-home mother of two was found stuffed inside a large duffel bag approximately one half-mile from her home on Saturday morning, according to police.
The medical examiner determined on Monday that Orsolya Gaal had been stabbed 60 times in her neck, arm, and torso, leaving her with “sharp force wounds,” the New York Post reported.
She also suffered blunt-force trauma to her head, and had multiple cuts on her hands and fingers.
Her death was ruled a homicide.
Police sources said Gaal, a married mother of two boys, ages 13 and 17, had spent the evening of April 15 out with friends in Manhattan, according to the New York Post.
After going to a show at Lincoln Center, Gaal parted ways with her friends and went to a bar near her Forest Hills home, WCBS reported.
She sat alone at the bar for approximately 40 minutes and appeared to be waiting for someone, but ultimately left by herself and went home, according to the news outlet.
Gaal’s younger son was at the house all night, but her husband, Howard Klein, and their 17-year-old son were in Portland looking at universities, the New York Post reported.
Law enforcement sources said they believe someone Gaal knew came into the home through the back door during the night.
They noted there were no signs of forced entry, and that the viciousness of the attack indicated the fatal stabbing was personal and committed by someone who was angry at her, the New York Post reported.
Sources said the wounds on Gaal’s body indicated she fought back against her attacker until the very end, according to WCBS.
The killer then stuffed Gaal’s body into a large hockey duffel bag and dragged it out the side door of the home, the New York Post reported.
Security footage from a nearby residence showed a shadowy figure dragging the duffel bag down the sidewalk approximately four blocks away from the victim’s home at about 4:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Glenn Van Nostrand said he was out walking his dog near Jackie Robinson Parkway and Metropolitan Avenue at approximately 8 a.m. when he stumbled upon the duffel bag lying next to the sidewalk, the New York Post reported.
Van Nostrand said he initially thought someone had stuffed a mannequin inside.
When he looked closer, he realized it was a woman’s body and immediately called police, the New York Post reported.
Investigators said they found a trail of blood leading from the bag back to Gaal’s home, according to WCBS.
Officers entered the house and found Gaal’s 13-year-old son upstairs, the New York Post reported.
The boy allegedly told police he had no idea where his mother was.
He was taken into custody and questioned before being released later the same day, the New York Post reported.
Police said they have ruled him out as a suspect, according to WCBS.
Investigators said they have identified the people Gaal was out with on Friday night and that they are combing through security footage and receipts to see if she possibly met up with a “mysterious stranger” at some point in the night, the New York Post reported.
“It’s a mystery,” a police source told the news outlet. “Now it’s a question of piecing together everything she did.”
Sources said Klein received a terrifying text message after his wife’s murder, warning him that “Your whole family is next,” WPIX reported.
Police said they had not seen those messages as of Monday, according to WCBS.
During a brief phone conversation with the New York Post on Saturday, Klein said he was just getting on a flight back to New York and that his family’s lives were in danger.
“There are concerns about our safety,” he said. “Our lives are at risk.”
Law enforcement sources said Klein has been staying at another location since returning to New York while police continue to investigate the active crime scene at the family’s home, the New York Post reported.
He has been in contact with police, they noted.
Klein previously reported his wife as missing after she went out for a walk at approximately 12:30 a.m. on May 29, 2020, and never came home, the New York Post reported.
He contacted police approximately seven hours later, but Gaal returned home about 30 minutes after he placed the call.
