Alexandria Castano Mount Vernon NY woman found dead outside the front door by her mother as family say 24 year old was murdered. No arrests as motive is sought.
Who & why? A mother discovered the bloody body of her 24 year old daughter outside the front door of their suburban NYC home – with the victim’s sister convinced she was murdered.
Alexandria Castano was found dead at her home, a large Mount Vernon house which has been split into apartments, after police received a call alerting them to an unresponsive female at the front vestibule of the home at 165 Summit Avenue.
Alexandria’s mother, Lucia Castano, said that she and her daughter were cooking dinner together when Alex abruptly left the house around 8 pm.
Lucia received a text about 30 minutes later saying that Alex was heading home. After that, Alex stopped replying to her mom’s calls and text.
‘I know my sister would not say “I’m coming home right now” and then just not home without even calling or without even shooting my mom a text,’ Alex’s sister, Cristina Benitez told News 12.
‘Somebody killed my daughter’
Lucia found her daughter’s bloody body the next morning when she was woken up by police at her door.
Told the mother, ‘I see from my window the ambulance, police around here.’ She explained that she came downstairs to open the door and saw her daughter’s lifeless body.
‘I hear somebody talking here by the door, and I open it and I see my daughter here,’ the distraught mother said.
Benitez flew in from out of state to grieve with her mother. ‘She just kept saying, somebody killed my daughter, somebody killed my daughter.’
While police have shared minimal information about the case, including a cause of death, Alex’s family is convinced she was murdered.
‘Somebody did something to her in my heart I know it. I just want to know what happened to my sister? Who did something to my sister?’ Benitez pleaded.
A candlelight vigil was held Tuesday night as friends and family gathered to honor the young woman.
No arrests
‘Her smile, she just brights up the room, like super positive,’ Maria Figueredo said describing her childhood friend.
Another childhood friend, Daiana Gutierrez, remembered Alex fondly, ‘She is a very good person. She will never harm nobody. She had a very big heart.’
Alex worked in retail and was going to school in hopes to become a lawyer. She was very close with her mother, Lucia explained.
The family says they don’t know who called the police at 7 am after discovering the body or who would hurt Alex.
The Westchester County Medical Examiner is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Police have yet to share details on possible suspects, and have yet to make any arrests.
