A teenage boy makes a horrific discovery when he finds his mother dead with her throat slit in her Brooklyn home.Maria Santos Flores, 36, was found at her residence on 85th Street near Fourth Avenue in Bay Ridge with a deep gash in her neck.Her son and sister Angelica Flores discovered the body. “I went to visit her and she looked like this,” the sister told the New York Post outside the home, where relatives gathered in shock and grief. “She just came home from get off work.”Another sister, Daisy Flores, said the family is originally from El Salvador. She described Maria as a caring person who worked hard to provide for her family. “She loved helping people and taking care of her family,” she said. “We don’t understand what happened.”Flores worked as a bartender at Huatulco Sports Bar in Sunset Park, often working the night shift. The family believes she may have been followed home after get off work.“The police haven’t told us what happened,” said her husband, Antonio Hernandez. “We’re waiting. We don’t know anything. We suspect someone was following her home from get off work.”He added that their two children, aged 3 and 17, were at home at the time of the incident. “When I drove to work this morning, she hadn’t arrived yet,” he said, explaining that he left for work around 7:30 a.m.Outside the home, NYPD officers placed yellow evidence markers on items found on the sidewalk, including a blood-stained paper towel. Evidence bags were also removed from the property.Murders in New York are down 23% so far this year compared with the same period in 2025, city government data shows.At the bar where she worked, colleagues and patrons struggled to understand the news. One employee burst into tears after learning she was Salvadoran, asking, “Ellie?” and adding, “We know her name is Ellie Flores? She lives on 86th Street?”Bar owner Felipe Ortega described her as a dedicated employee who rarely missed work. “She never missed a day of work. Not a day,” he said.“She’s very responsible for her work. Dependable. Kind.”He added that the tragedy was personal for employees. “We have a celebration at the end of every year,” he said. “We invite everyone. She’s been here for about three years.”Colleagues also remembered her. Bodyguard Pappo Vazquez said: “She was so lovely.” Another bodyguard, Nigel Kelly, added: “She’s a sweetheart. I can’t believe this is happening.”
