LOWER EAST SIDE — Police are questioning a suspect in the strangulation of Brooke Garcia, 27, which has been ruled a homicide, according to a law enforcement source.
Henry Pacheco is being held by police for a separate violent incident, the beating of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, while undergoing questioning as a suspect in the murder of Garcia, according to the source.
Garcia was found dead in an apartment at the Lillian Wald Houses Wednesday afternoon with a scarf wrapped around her neck, according to police. Her body had been found by a female friend, who noticed the apartment door had been left open when she came to visit.
The medical examiner has determined the cause of death to be strangulation. It has been ruled a homicide.
Pacheco was known to be dating Garcia, the source said. Surveillance footage shows him entering the housing complex at 10 Avenue D with Garcia the day of the murder and leaving alone, according to the source.
The suspect broke his ex-girlfriend's jaw while beating her, the source said. The incident took place within days of Garcia's death.
No arrests have been made in relation to Garcia's death as of Friday afternoon and the investigation is ongoing.
Pacheco is currently being held in the psychiatric ward at Bellevue Hospital, according to the Daily News, which first reported on the suspect.