WAKEFIELD — A 44-year-old Bronx mother was stabbed to death on Baychester Avenue, police said, leaving her three children with the harsh reality Monday that their mom was never coming home.
Maxine Martinez was discovered unconscious on Sunday, with stab wounds to her neck and head on Baychester Avenue, between Camp Street and Nereid Avenue, about 9:20 a.m., police said.
Martinez, a Jamaican immigrant who relatives said worked as a babysitter, was taken to Montefiore North Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
“I had a dream about her last night,” said Garyann Williamson, Martinez’s 19-year-old daughter. “But when I woke up, the feeling wasn’t there. I started to remember that she’s gone.”
No one has been arrested in the stabbing, police said, and cops did not release any information about a possible motive.
Martinez, who emigrated from Jamaica in 2004, had a passion for dancing and dressing up, Williamson said. She loved taking care of young children and always stressed education, her eldest daughter recalled.
“When I didn’t want to finish high school, she said I just had to keep going and push forward,” Williamson said. “Now I’m going to college in the fall.”
Martinez's 15-year-old daughter, Shellian Williamson, said her mom always made sure her kids were polished and polite.
“She was a good mother. She was really kind,” Shellian Williamson said. “She always told me to do the right thing and behave.”
Patrick White, 56, the father of Martinez’s son, 8-year-old Anelka, said the two remained close after their relationship ended and talked every night on the phone.
“She was a hard worker and had a kind heart,” White said. “Anything she wanted, I’d do it for her.”
White had a terse message for the killer.
“Man up to your crime,” he said. “Whoever did it has got to pay the price.”
Aidan Gardiner contributed to this article.
