MANHATTAN — A woman died after suffering head injuries consistent with a high fall onto a Harlem street early Tuesday morning, officials said.
The 39-year-old woman, whose identity was not immediately released, was found dead outside 406 Lenox Ave., near West 131st Street, about 12:15 a.m., NYPD officials said.
"I looked down, I saw this lady on her back. I saw her face. She was covered in blood," said Emma Blake, 95, who saw the aftermath from her bedroom window.
"Nothing but blood, blood, blood. Her eyes were closed. It was awful."
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Investigators initially thought the woman may have been shot to death. Then they thought she was stabbed to death, but later determined her injuries were caused by a fall.
The Chief Medical Examiner's officer also said her injuries did not appear to be from and gunshot wound or stabbing, and it does seem that the woman died after falling to the sidewalk.
An official cause of death is still pending further study, a spokeswoman for the Medical Examiner's office said.
It was not immediately known exactly where the woman fell from or if she jumped.
