Jul 9, 2009 5:36 pm US/Eastern
Source: Missing Manhattan Mother Presumed Dead
Co-Worker Questioned In Disappearance; Police Treat Case As Homicide
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Eridania Rodriguez, 46, of Manhattan, was last seen on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at the office building she works at on Rector Street.
CBS
Police have questioned a person of interest in the case of a Manhattan mother who went missing Tuesday, and they're now treating the case as a homicide, sources tell WCBSTV.com.
Eridania Rodriguez, 46, of 107 Ellwood Street, was last seen around 7 p.m. Tuesday at an office building on Rector Street where she works as a janitor. She punched in for her shift, worked a few hours and was last seen on security cameras, but a family lawyer says the building's cameras never recorded her leaving the skyscraper.
Her purse and street clothes were still in her locker.
Relatives tell CBS 2 that the married mother of three, who was also a grandmother, didn't feel safe on the job and that a man who worked inside the building was scaring her, offering unwanted advances. She had recently told her bosses she was going to leave her job because she feared for her safety.
"The floor that my mom was working on, he was there, and he used to stare at her so she wasn't feeling comfortable," Rodriguez's daughter, Yan Iris Figueroa, told CBS 2. "She told one of her co-workers that she works with and I think she told the supervisor. The supervisor spoke to him and he had to move out of the building."
That incident occurred about a month ago, but Figueroa said her mother told her and her sister that she saw the man a week ago. Now detectives are believed to have zeroed in on that former co-worker.
"I'm trying to stay strong, but it's really hurting me," Figueroa said. "She's very responsible, she's nice, she's sweet, she's very playful."
Detectives have questioned the co-worker at the first precinct since yesterday. Sources told CBS 2 they felt he was lying, but they still did not have hard evidence. He got a lawyer, and they had to let him go.
There is no word yet as to what caused investigators to believe the woman was murdered.
Neighbors describe Rodriguez as a hardworking woman and said they were worried about her.
"Everybody is very sad in this neighborhood," said Jose Bello, who lived near Rodriguez. "She's a very nice person, I've known her a long time."
Rodriguez is the sister of Victor Martinez, a top-ranked professional bodybuilder.
Anyone with information regarding this case can call Crime Stoppers and remain anonymous at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Stay with WCBSTV.com and CBS 2 HD for more on this developing story.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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