The family of four who was found dead inside their Upper West Side apartment in what is believed to be a murder-suicide has been identified by police as more details of the tragic case are revealed.
The bodies of all four people were discovered with knife wounds in the fourth-floor unit on West 86th Street between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue around 3 p.m. Monday. Police had been called to the building to help perform a wellness check on the family, and after gaining access to the apartment, officers found a man, a woman and two young boys.
Police identified the father as 41-year-old Edison Lopez, who neighbors said worked as the building superintendent. Many residents said they knew him for years and grew up in the building before taking over the post from his father. Investigators said Lopez's father had not heard from the family since Sunday morning. After attempting to drill into the door of the apartment, two senior officials said he could see signs of a crime scene and that's when he contacted police.The bodies of Lopez's wife, 40-year-old Alexandra Witek, as well as his two sons, 3-year-old Lucien Lopez and 1-year-old Calvin Lopez, were found inside the home as well.
The building remained an active crime scene for hours as detectives and the city's medical examiner continued their inspection of the apartment. The official cause of deaths in the case have not been determined. Residents were shocked to hear about the death of a man they had come to know for many years. One woman said the 41-year-old man had recently accepted a new job at a building in Westchester and planned to move his family.
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