The disappearance and tragic death of Pamela Alcantara, a 26-year-old Bronx woman, has left her family, friends, and community in shock.
Her body was discovered on Thursday, March 6, 2025, stuffed inside a red suitcase near the Saw Mill River Parkway in Yonkers.
Pamela Alcantara was last seen alive on Sunday, March 2, 2025, entering the elevator of her Bronx apartment building.
Surveillance footage captured her speaking to her mother on the phone just after midnight as she entered the elevator.
However, there was no video of her leaving the building, as reported by ABC7NY.COM
Her family grew concerned when she failed to show up for church later that day.
She never missed going to church as she was known to be a devoted Christian.
By Sunday evening, her family reported her missing to the local police department.
Over the next few days, they plastered missing posters around her neighborhood and outside her apartment on Morris Avenue, desperately searching for answers.
Despite these efforts, Alcantara was nowhere in sight.
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| Pamela Alcantara |
During preliminary investigations, detectives learnt that Alcantara shared her apartment with her ex-boyfriend, Junior Perez Diaz, and he was the last person to see her alive.
When Diaz was asked about Alcantara’s disappearance, he told investigators that she had left their apartment wearing pajamas and was carrying the red suitcase.
However, surveillance footage contradicted Diaz’s statement to police, as Alcantara was never seen leaving the apartment.
Additionally, crime scene investigators discovered signs of a struggle in the couple’s bedroom, which raised further suspicions about what had truly happened.
Using license plate readers, authorities were able to track Junior Perez Diaz's movement on the day Alcantara disappeared.
The data revealed that he had stopped his car for a while near the Saw Mill River Parkway.
A drone was deployed to search the marshy area where his car had stopped, and it soon spotted a red suitcase partially submerged in the water.
Crime scene investigators quickly descended on the area and recovered the suitcase that contained Pamela Alcantara’s body.
She was pronounced dead at the scene, and Diaz was taken into custody shortly afterward, as reported by ABC News.
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| Pamela Alcantara was last seen entering her apartment |
Alcantara’s family described her as a deeply religious woman who dedicated her life to serving others.
She was a chaplain with the Latin American Chaplain Association and frequently visited hospitals and battered women’s shelters.
Despite her outward strength, Alcantara was trapped in a toxic relationship.
Her family shared that she had recently ended her three-year relationship with Diaz and was in the process of moving out of their shared apartment.
“She was supposed to move, and I think he found out,” said Alcantara’s aunt, Isa Peguero.
“He used to put a recorder in the car and in the bedroom so he could know everything—what happened, what she was doing.”
Her mother revealed that Diaz had threatened to kill himself if she left him.
“My daughter was manipulated,” she said in Spanish.
“He told her if she left, he would take his life. But he didn’t take his life—he took hers.”
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| Junior Perez Diaz, during his arrest |
Diaz was formally charged on Friday, March 7, 2025, with murder, manslaughter, and kidnapping.
That same evening, a candlelight vigil was held outside Alcantara’s Bronx apartment, according to CBS News.
Friends, family, and community leaders gathered to honor her memory and raise awareness about domestic violence.
“One threat is one too many,” said one mourner. “Even if he comes back and smiles, brings you flowers—one is too many.”
Bishop Fernando Rodriguez of the Latin American Chaplain Association spoke about Alcantara’s dedication to her community.
“She was always helping others, always giving of herself. Her loss is a tragedy for all of us.”
As the legal process unfolds, Alcantara’s family and community continue to mourn her loss and hope for swift justice.
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