WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — The mother who went missing from The Bronx earlier this month was found fatally stabbed in the neck in a wooded area, officials said.
Joan Viau, 52, from The Bronx, was found Saturday near a wooded area at West 187th Street and Chittenden Avenue. She had been reported missing Jan. 23, police said.
The Medical Examiner said Monday the cause of her death was "homicidal violence, including sharp force trauma of neck."
Viau was last seen heading to the VA Hospital with her son, Joseph Garcia, according to the Daily News. Police found her purse and cellphone inside her home with traces of blood on them, according to reports.
Garcia was charged Friday with possession of stolen property after he was caught using his mother’s credit card and car, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s office. He was held on $100,000 bail and is due back in court on Tuesday.
Garcia's lawyer, Martin Fisher, told DNAinfo New York his client denied any wrongdoing.