Death of Woman Found With Stab Wounds in Central Park Under Investigation - Newsweek
An investigation is underway after a woman in her 60s was found dead with stab wounds in New York City's Central Park on Sunday morning, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
Officers responded to a 911 call reporting an unconscious person near East Drive and East 74th Street at approximately 9:43 a.m., a spokesperson for the NYPD told Newsweek over the phone on Sunday afternoon.
"Upon arrival, [officers] discovered an adult female in her 60s, unresponsive, with stab wounds on her body," the spokesperson added.
The New York Times reported that the woman's body was discovered inside a gazebo near the popular restaurant Central Park Boathouse.
Investigators did not say how long the woman may have been in the area before she was discovered and haven't indicated whether they believe the woman was targeted. Police said no arrests have been made, and no suspect information was immediately available.
The NYPD spokesperson said it had not yet been determined to be a homicide and referred Newsweek to the Office of the Medical Examiner, the agency that determines the cause and manner of death. Newsweek reached out to the medical examiner by email on Sunday.
A fatal stabbing investigation in Central Park can draw significant attention given the park's status as one of New York City's most visited landmarks. According to the Times, citing the most recently available police data, there were no murders between January 1 and September 20, 2026, and no killings were reported last year during the same time period.
While violent incidents in the park are relatively rare, high-profile crimes there have historically attracted national scrutiny and prompted public safety concerns.
Among the most infamous incidents in Central Park was the 1989 assault and rape of a female jogger, a case that later became known as the Central Park Five.
Trisha Meili's body was found badly beaten and unconscious in Central Park on April 20, 1989, and required hospitalization to recover from her injuries. At the time, she had no memory of what happened to her while she was jogging in the park. It was later revealed that Meili had been tied, beaten with a rock and raped that night. She lost 75 percent of her blood by the time her body was found.
Five teenagers, known as the Central Park 5, were initially convicted before being exonerated years later after DNA evidence and a confession from the actual perpetrator emerged. The case became the subject of extensive media coverage and subsequent documentaries.
Another notable case was the 1986 killing of Jennifer Levin, an 18-year-old woman whose death in Central Park led to the nationally followed prosecution of Robert Chambers, who became known as the "Preppy Killer."
The park has also occasionally been the site of other violent assaults and unsolved attacks, though homicides remain uncommon compared with the millions of annual visitors who pass through the park.
Detectives are working to determine how the woman sustained her injuries and whether surveillance footage, witness accounts or forensic evidence can help identify what happened.
At this stage, police have not publicly classified the case as a homicide. Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing and additional information is expected as detectives continue to gather evidence.
Newsweekβs reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Steve Mollman and Anthony Murray.
