A Queens mother of five has been identified as the woman found dead inside a Brooklyn trash can — and her family says they are desperate to understand how she ended up there.
Tanaya Campbell Ortiz, 38, was discovered Sept. 16 inside a garbage can near Plumb Beach in Sheepshead Bay, just off the Belt Parkway.
According to police and local reports, two men were trying to park nearby when their vehicle bumped the trash can.
One of the men got out to move it and realized it was unusually heavy.
Then a garbage bag fell out.
Inside, they found Ortiz wrapped in blankets.
The men immediately called 911, initially reporting an unconscious woman.
Emergency crews arrived shortly after 3 p.m., but Ortiz was pronounced dead at the scene.
The discovery stunned investigators and left Ortiz’s five children devastated.
Her daughter, Julissa Hernandez, said the family had noticed that her mother “had not been herself recently.”
But nothing prepared them for the way she was found.
“Our family is still trying to process this unimaginable loss,” Hernandez wrote in a fundraiser created to help cover funeral expenses.
She said the tragedy had “torn us apart” and that the family was struggling to understand what happened, especially because some relatives had seen or spoken with Ortiz shortly before her death.
Police spent hours combing the Plumb Beach parking lot for evidence after the body was discovered.
Detectives examined the garbage can, collected items from the area and taped off part of the lot while they worked through the evening.
There are still major unanswered questions.
The New York City medical examiner has not yet determined Ortiz’s cause or manner of death.
NYPD officials have not publicly said how long she may have been inside the trash can or who placed her there.
One report said investigators observed bruising on her body, but it was not considered severe enough on its own to explain her death. Her death has not officially been ruled a homicide while authorities wait for the medical examiner’s findings.
Ortiz was from Hollis, Queens, and was known by friends and relatives as a devoted mother.
Her family says they are now left grieving while waiting for answers from investigators.
Her estranged husband, Mike Ortiz, who has reportedly lived in Florida since the couple separated years ago, also said he believes there is more to the story surrounding her death.
As of the latest update, no arrests have been announced.
Police are continuing to investigate the case.
