A teenage boy discovers his mother’s body at a grisly murder scene
A teenage boy made a horrific discovery when he found his mother dead with her throat slit inside their Brooklyn home.Maria Santos Flores, 36, was found with a deep wound to her neck in her home on 85th Street near Fourth Avenue in Bay Ridge.Her son and sister Angelica Flores discovered the body. “I came to visit her and found her like this,” the sister told the New York Post, speaking outside the home as relatives gathered in shock and grief. “She just got home from work.”Another sister, Daisy Flores, said the family originally came from El Salvador. She described Maria as a caring person who works hard to provide for her family. “She loved helping people and taking care of her family,” she said.
“We don’t understand what happened.”Flores worked as a bartender at Huatulco Sports Bar in Sunset Park and often worked night shifts. Family members believe she may have been followed home after work.Her husband, Antonio Hernandez, said: “The police have not told us what happened yet.” “We are waiting. We don’t know anything. There is a suspicion that someone followed her home from work.”He added that their two children, aged 3 and 17, were at home at the time of the accident.
“When I got into the car this morning to go to work, I hadn’t arrived yet,” he said, explaining that he left for work at about 7:30 a.m.Outside the home, NYPD officers placed yellow evidence markers on items on the sidewalk, including blood-stained tissue. Evidence bags were also removed from the property.Homicides in New York are down 23% so far this year compared to the same period in 2025, city data shows.At the bar where she worked, her colleagues and customers had difficulty digesting the news. One of the employees broke down in tears when she learned that she was Salvadoran, and asked her: “Ellie?” He adds: “We knew her as Ellie Flores? She lived on 86th Street?”The bar’s owner, Felipe Ortega, described her as a dedicated worker who rarely missed a shift.
“She never missed a day of work. Not a single day,” he said.“She was very responsible in her work. Reliable. Kind.”He added that the tragedy seemed personal for the employees. “Every year, at the end of the year, we have a celebration,” he added. “And we invite everyone. She’s been working here for about 3 years.”She was also remembered by co-workers. “She was very nice,” guard Papo Vasquez said. Another guard, Nigel Kelly, added: “She was loved. I can’t believe this happened.”
