In the West Farms neighborhood of the Bronx, a simple trip to get dinner for her children turned into a tragedy for 48-year-old Cindy Diaz on the evening of January 6, 2017. As she was walking home with McDonald's for her four sons, gunfire erupted near Boston Road and East Tremont Avenue. Diaz, an innocent bystander, was struck by a stray bullet in the torso and arm. She was rushed to St.
Barnabas Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The shooting, which occurred around 5:30 p.m., stemmed from an argument between two men that escalated to violence. Another man was also injured in the incident but survived. In the days following the senseless killing, the community and Diaz's family were left reeling, remembering her as a devoted mother with a heart of gold who lived for her children. The New York Police Department released surveillance video of a person of interest and offered a reward for information leading to an arrest.
For years, the case remained unsolved, a painful open wound for her loved ones. Then, in August 2025, a break in the case finally came. Jonathan Odenthal, 31, was charged with the murder of Cindy Diaz. At the time of the indictment, Odenthal was already in federal custody in West Virginia on unrelated drug conspiracy charges. Authorities did not immediately disclose how they connected him to the 2017 cold case. Odenthal was arraigned on a charge of second-degree murder and was remanded. The arrest brought a long-awaited sense of potential justice for a family shattered by a moment of senseless violence.
