NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- As the search for Queens mom Orsolya Gaal’s killer continues, police are focusing on a man they believe Gaal had a romantic relationship with as they search for a person who once worked at her family's Forest Hills home, sources said Wednesday.
Gaal, 51, was texting as many as four men the day before she was fatally stabbed Friday night, and police are looking into those contacts, according to sources. Her body was found Saturday morning inside of a hockey duffel bag dumped on Metropolitan Avenue at the edge of Forest Park, police said.
Sources confirmed that police are looking for a man who they believe had a romantic relationship with Gaal at some point, as well as someone who worked at her family's house. It's unclear if they're the same person.
The New York Post reported the man police are looking for is a handyman who worked for the family and knew where they kept a spare key. There was no sign of forced entry at the home, and authorities believe Gaal knew her killer.
The handyman hasn’t been publicly identified as a person of interest, but police believe he would have been able to access the home without breaking in, according to the report. Meanwhile, sources told WNBC that police are looking at multiple potential suspects in the case.
Gaal went to Lincoln Center on Friday night before later returning to Forest Hills, where she was stabbed nearly 60 times at her family’s Tudor-style house on Juno Street, sources said.
Her 13-year-old son was on the upper floor of the home at the time of the killing, while her husband and 17-year-old son were on the West Coast on a college search. The younger son was questioned by police and released.
Police said they followed a half-mile trail of blood “multiple blocks” back to the family’s home, where blood was found in the basement and on the first floor.
Stab wounds to Gaal’s hands indicate she was trying to fight off her killer. She also had stab wounds to her neck, torso and left arm. The medical examiner determined Gaal’s cause of death was “sharp force injuries of the neck.” Her death was deemed a homicide.
Doorbell cam video shows a man dragging a duffel bag down 75th Avenue—about four blocks from the family's home—around 4:30 a.m. Saturday before her body was found.
The killer reportedly sent Gaal’s husband a threatening text message from her phone reading: “Your whole family is next.”
Police haven’t identified a motive in the killing, and no arrests have been made. The NYPD is offering a $3,500 reward for information in the case.
The home remained a crime scene Wednesday as people continued to stop by to lay flowers and pay their respects.
As an investigation continues, neighbors remembered Gaal as a "lovely lady" who was "super friendly."
“Whatever the story is right now on the internet, for us, she’s very nice,” one man said.
Ina Cohen, who worked at the nursery school Gaal’s two sons attended years ago, had only positive memories of her.
“There’s nothing bad to say,” Cohen said. “She always had a smile on her face. She was always proud of her children. And I can’t believe this.”
“I hope they find whoever did this, because what they did to her—horrible,” she said.
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