On a brisk November morning in Queens, New York, the day before Thanksgiving in 2014, the life of 27-year-old Anastasia Brandee Massey was tragically cut short. A resident of the LeFrak City apartment complex, Massey had just returned home after dropping her children off at school when she was ambushed and fatally shot in the hallway of her building on the Horace Harding Expressway.
At the time of her death, Massey was six months pregnant.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, and Massey was transported to Elmhurst Hospital. Despite the efforts of medical staff, she succumbed to her injuries, which included gunshot wounds to the chest and arm. In a heartbreaking turn of events, doctors were able to deliver her baby girl, but the infant tragically passed away a few hours later. Anastasia Massey was a mother to four other young children.
The investigation into the brutal slaying quickly focused on a possible familial connection. The New York Police Department identified Massey's uncle as a prime suspect in the case, suggesting that a domestic dispute may have been the motive behind the violent act. It was also reported that Massey may have been a witness in a domestic violence case against her uncle, and detectives were exploring this as a potential reason for her murder. The theory was that the perpetrator may have been waiting for her to return from her daily routine of taking her children to school.
In the wake of the tragedy, community leaders and local businesses came together to offer a reward for any information that would lead to an arrest. The initial reward was set at $6,000 and was later increased to $12,000 in an effort to bring the person responsible for the death of Anastasia and her unborn child to justice. However, despite the reward and the naming of a suspect, there have been no public announcements of an arrest, and the case has seemingly gone cold. The name of the uncle who was considered a suspect was never publicly released.
