Mother of 4 Fatally Stabbed in Hallway of Her Harlem Apartment Building, Man Charged with Murder By Christina Coulter

A mother of four was found fatally stabbed inside the hallway of her Harlem apartment building early Monday morning — and now, a 41-year-old man has been charged with her murder.

Carmen Lopez, 47, was found with multiple stab wounds to her torso at around 4:25 a.m. at 409 West 129th Street on Monday, Nov. 10. She was taken to Mount Sinai Morningside where she was pronounced deceased, the NYPD confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement.

The following day, on Tuesday, Nov. 11, Luis Marquez, 41, was arrested and charged with murder in connection with Lopez’s death, per the statement.

Police did not release details about a possible motive.

Neighbors told CBS News and NBC New York that Lopez was a mother of four who had lived in the building for several years. Police sources told the outlets that investigators believe she had just stepped off the elevator when she was attacked in the hallway.

“She was a great mother and a great human being. She loved our family, and she loved life,” Lopez’s sister, Lucy Lopez, told the New York Daily News. “We don’t know how to start over.”

Investigators believe Lopez knew her attacker, according to CBS News and NBC New York.

PIX11 further reported that sources believed the man to be her ex-boyfriend. He allegedly showed up at a Bronx hospital with cuts to his hands and wearing clothing from the scene before he was taken into custody, sources told the outlet.

A building porter told the outlet he heard Lopez calling out, “Stop, Luis,” before she collapsed on the ground.

Another neighbor described seeing “blood all over the place,” according to CBS News.

Neighbors later placed candles outside the building in Lopez’s memory, and a local anti-violence group visited to offer support to residents, per the outlet.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers line at 1-800-577-TIPS.