UPPER EAST SIDE — A 78-year-old man who was found dead and sitting on the couch in his apartment was strangled with a tie, according the city's medical examiner and sources.
Christopher Cooley, who lived on the 11th floor of 29 E. 64th St. near Madison Avenue, was found with a tie wrapped twice around his neck by the building's superintendent roughly 8 p.m. on March 16, sources said.
He was found on his couch in the sitting position, and his body had been decomposing for about a week, according to sources.
There was no sign of forced entry and Cooley still about $190 in his wallet and his watch was also still on his wrist. A lamp had been knocked over and there were shards of glass on him, sources said.
The superintendent checked on him after Cooley's daughter got concerned and called him.
Cooley's wife passed away a few years ago and left him with a sizeable amount of money, sources added.
No arrests had been made as of Friday afternoon, police said. The investigation is ongoing.