Detectives from the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows are investigating after the body of a 55-year-old man was discovered wrapped in trash bags and stuffed under a bed in a Kew Gardens Hills apartment three blocks east of Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Tuesday afternoon.
Police responded to a 911 call of a man in need of a wellness check at 137-17 70th Ave. at 5 p.m. and found him unconscious and unresponsive, police said. EMS responded to the location and pronounced him dead at the scene.
The victim was identified as Jose Portillo, 55, of Jewel Avenue, the NYPD announced late Tuesday night. He was the building superintendent who lived just a block away from the crime scene. He had gone to the apartment earlier in the day to collect back rent, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the case.
Criminality is suspected and a man and woman at the apartment were taken into custody and questioned as persons of interest. No charges have been filed against the two while homicide detectives wait for a search warrant for the apartment, according to the source.
The investigation remains ongoing, police said Thursday. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.
*This story was updated on Jan. 16 to reflect the victim’s identity.
