In the quiet neighborhood of Black Rock Avenue in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the life of a young Hispanic woman, Evelyn Rayo-Mairena, was tragically cut short on the evening of October 21, 2025. The 24-year-old female, a native of Nicaragua, was discovered unresponsive and seriously injured, lying in the street just a short distance from where she lived with her one-year-old daughter.
The grim discovery was made by police officers who had initially been called to the area for a report of an abandoned child found on a nearby porch.
First responders rushed Evelyn to St. Vincent's Medical Center, but her injuries were too severe, and she was pronounced dead. An autopsy later confirmed the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and neck, with an associated spinal cord injury, officially ruling her passing a homicide. In the midst of this tragedy, her young daughter was found unharmed and was taken to Bridgeport Hospital for evaluation before being reunited with family members through the state's Department of Children and Families.
The investigation into Evelyn's death is ongoing, with homicide detectives actively pursuing several leads and reviewing a significant amount of surveillance footage from the area. Authorities have indicated that they are exploring domestic violence as a possible motive, describing it as a strong possibility in what they have termed a complex and fluid investigation. However, as of late October 2025, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified. Investigators have explicitly stated that Evelyn's longtime partner and the father of her child, Deglis Perez, is not a suspect or a person of interest in the case.
In the wake of her death, family and friends described Evelyn as a woman full of light, a devoted mother, and a loving wife with a constant smile and a willingness to help others. A GoFundMe campaign was established to help her family with the financial burden of repatriating her body to her home country and to provide support for her young daughter, who is now in the care of her father. The Bridgeport Police Department continues to appeal to the public for any information regarding the case, assuring the community that they believe it to be an isolated incident with no broader danger to the public.
