East Harlem residents gathered Monday night to mourn Lovay Williams, a 27‑year‑old mother whose life was taken in a domestic‑violence killing in her Washington Heights apartment on Sunday. Green balloons were released as relatives described Williams as a devoted mother whose 7‑year‑old daughter now faces life without her.

Williams’ mother, Monica Manners, said, “She should be here to take care of her own child.” Her father, Nuquan Williams, added, “She loved music, she loved people, most importantly she loved her daughter.” The family recounted the harrowing details shared by the father, noting that the suspect, a man the daughter had been dating, allegedly tried to clean the scene, placed the child in a bathtub, and covered her before fleeing.

Police found Williams unconscious and unresponsive on 156th Street and pronounced her dead at the scene. Her father called the perpetrator “the devil” and condemned the act as a “piece of garbage” for harming a woman and child.

Calls for action

Domestic‑violence advocates joined the vigil, urging the community to recognize the silent killer that claims women’s lives regularly. “It’s a silent killer that is killing women on the regular and it’s the signs we need to understand,” said Stephanie Mcgraw, founder of WARM.

Relatives remembered Williams as a caring single mother. “Very attentive to her child. Best mom in the world,” her brother said, expressing deep sorrow over the loss.

Police sources confirmed investigators are treating the case as domestic in nature and have identified a suspect, but the search for the individual continues.

Original reporting: Brookhaven News – ABC7 New York — read the source article.