Jul 13, 2009 5:22 pm US/Eastern
Murder Of Fashion Student Shocks Queens Family
23-Year-Old Carmin Saldana-Mundo Discovered In Her Bedroom By Her Mother
Relatives Say Evidence Points To Sexual Assault Before Being Brutally Murdered
QUEENS (CBS) ―
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A police officer stands outside the apartment building in Astoria where 23-year-old Fashion Institute of Technology student Carmen Saldana-Mundo was found dead.
CBS
Police are trying to get to the bottom of a murder mystery in Queens where a young fashion student was found dead inside her Astoria apartment.
Relatives said 23-year-old Fashion Institute of Technology student Carmen Saldana-Mundo was the victim of a brutal sexual assault.
The victim's mother, Suzanna Mundo, had just returned home on Sunday from an out-of-town work assignment in the Hamptons when she discovered the body of her daughter just before 10 p.m.
The 30th Avenue apartment building is now the site of a crime scene as the investigation continues.
"Everybody's devastated, of course, because of what happened to my niece, Carmen," Juan Guerro, the victim's uncle, told CBS 2.
The victim's cousin, Hugo Rodriguez, said that the mother found her daughter lying down in her room, cold and unresponsive.
"She came into the room, light on, she touched her feet which were cold, and started making phone calls," Rodriguez said. "Her hair was wet, so they don't know what really happened, but they're saying she probably got violated."
Relatives said they've been told by police there were signs of forced entry at the front door of the 2nd floor apartment, and that Saldana's cell phone was removed from the apartment. They also don't believe Saldana was involved with anyone romantically.
"From what we know, she didn't have any boyfriends," cousin Ali Rodriguez says. "She wan't dating anyone."
Neighbor Glenn Foley said he's stunned that it's even possible a violent crime could have taken place in the neighborhood.
"I've lived in this neighborhood 38 years and this is the first time anything like this has ever happened in this neighborhood," Foley said.
Guerro still cannot believe the tragedy that has left family and neighbors all stunned.
"She was a really nice girl. She worked at a restaurant as a waitress and she was a student," Guerro said.
Saldana-Mundo's relatives said they aren't going anywhere as they await more information from the ongoing police investigation.
Stay with CBS 2 HD and wcbstv.com for more on this developing story as it comes in.
CBS 2's Jay Dow and John Slattery contributed to this report.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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