Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY — A 59-year-old grandmother was found dead inside her apartment Monday morning after her concerned son called police to check on her, setting off an investigation that led authorities to her husband.
Maria Ines Granda was discovered face-down on a sofa around 9:30 a.m. inside the apartment on 79th Street near Third Avenue, according to police and law enforcement sources.
Members of the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit made the grim discovery after Granda’s son requested a wellness check because he was concerned about his mother.
EMS workers pronounced the woman dead at the scene, police said.
Neighbors said Granda was known as a mother of two and grandmother of two. The circumstances surrounding her death quickly raised questions, with authorities investigating what happened inside the apartment.
Husband taken into custody miles away
Several hours after Granda was discovered, police located her 47-year-old husband, Mauricio Granda, about two miles away in Sunset Park.
According to police and sources, the victim’s son tracked Mauricio to the area around 52nd Street and Seventh Avenue.
Multiple specialized police officers responded after Mauricio reportedly barricaded himself inside his car. Authorities eventually took him into custody.
Mauricio was later charged with murder in connection with Ines’ death, according to police. The arrest shocked neighbors who said they had never witnessed obvious problems between the couple.
Neighbors say they never saw trouble
Residents in the neighborhood described the couple as quiet and generally friendly, saying they had not noticed signs of violence or frequent disputes.
“They live in front of me and I didn’t know anything at all. I never heard any commotion coming from over there, only the dog,” said Sou Heir, 56, who said the couple’s dog often barked.
“Nobody knows what happened except the dog.”
Heir said both Ines and Mauricio appeared to be good neighbors.
“He was good. She was good also,” Heir added. “They looked like they were in love…..but nobody knows what happens behind the doors.”
“I feel they were good neighbors, I don’t know what happened. We are sad.”
Friend remembers Ines as hardworking and kind
Another neighbor, Laura Colatraella, a retired attorney, said she last saw Ines Friday or Saturday night while she was walking her golden labradoodle.
The dog had reportedly been a gift from her son.
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Colatraella said she had last seen Mauricio earlier in the week when he returned from work and was looking for a delivery package.
“I never saw any problems with them. I never saw them fighting, you know, any dispute,” Colatraella said.
She remembered Ines as a hard-working home health care worker who sometimes worked six or seven days consecutively, including overnight shifts.
“She had a really sweet personality – very, very kind, very sweet, nice and friendly to everyone,” the retired attorney said. “It was very easy to talk to her, we talked a lot.”
“I just feel really bad,” she added.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to establish what led to Granda’s death and what happened inside the Bay Ridge apartment before police arrived.
What do you think about this disturbing case and the neighbors’ accounts of the couple? Share your thoughts in the comments.