LAWRENCE, Mass. — Family members are identifying the victim found dead in an apparent homicide in Lawrence as a 21-year-old mother of two.
Lawrence Police responded to a basement apartment on Salem Street Tuesday morning in response to a request for a well-being check.
That’s when they discovered an unresponsive person who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Family members later identified the victim as Diomaris Mejia.
They said she moved to Massachusetts from the Dominican Republic about a year ago.
According to relatives, she was working to send money back to her 3-year-old and 7-year-old kids who stayed in her native country.
“She just come here to work and give them a better life,” said Nelly Perez, a family member of the victim.
Family members said Mejia was stabbed, but investigators haven’t yet announced how she died.
Loved ones said the 21-year-old was in a troubled relationship, and they now have their suspicions about an older man she had been dating.
However, authorities have not yet announced any suspects or persons-of-interest in connection with the case.
“I called her one day and said he’s too old for you,” said Perez. “She was only 21. He was like 40.”
Police haven’t said if they’ve made contact with the man who family members say Mejia had been living with.
Investigators do not believe there is any ongoing threat to the public.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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