NY NY - Manhattan, WhtFem, UP104647, 70-80, found unresponsive after residential fire, tentative name Gilda Abramowitz, March 2023

[UnlicensedPI]

Didn't her family OWN this apartment for YEARS??

IF they owned the property, why would they be suing apparent property managers?

From the complaint:
"Upon information and belief, at all times relevant herein Defendant Rolling Realty, LLC was and still is the owner of the land, building and premises commonly known as 113 East 31st Street, New York, New York ("subject building")...
At all times relevant herein, Plaintiffs were, and still are, a long-term rent controlled tenant of apartment #2B in the subject building (the "subject premises")."

So the Defendant is the owner of the property and the Plaintiffs were renters.
Here is the complaint again: https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fb...cumentId=byxYl4YU5DMc0rajbX08Pg==&system=prod

It's reasonable to believe that she could have lost touch with her brother for one reason or another. I'm not seeing Gilda and Thomas referred to as married anywhere except once -- in the court docs she is referred to as his spouse by their attorney. I think this case is more unclaimed than unidentified, and it's likely she's categorized this way because they haven't located next of kin to make the official ID. She didn't have a driver's license and she'd been renting the same apartment (sublease, apparently) since 1968 -- I'm wondering if that's complicating the ID process because she doesn't really have any official documentation?

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Who owns this apartment???
If she did own it, who gets it now?

I believe this was only one bedroom (from some data I saw), but all NYC property is worth a lot.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

From the complaint:
"Upon information and belief, at all times relevant herein Defendant Rolling Realty, LLC was and still is the owner of the land, building and premises commonly known as 113 East 31st Street, New York, New York ("subject building")...
At all times relevant herein, Plaintiffs were, and still are, a long-term rent controlled tenant of apartment #2B in the subject building (the "subject premises")."

So the Defendant is the owner of the property and the Plaintiffs were renters.
Here is the complaint again: https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fb...cumentId=byxYl4YU5DMc0rajbX08Pg==&system=prod

It's reasonable to believe that she could have lost touch with her brother for one reason or another. I'm not seeing Gilda and Thomas referred to as married anywhere except once -- in the court docs she is referred to as his spouse by their attorney. I think this case is more unclaimed than unidentified, and it's likely she's categorized this way because they haven't located next of kin to make the official ID. She didn't have a driver's license and she'd been renting the same apartment (sublease, apparently) since 1968 -- I'm wondering if that's complicating the ID process because she doesn't really have any official documentation?

So, what are the ramifications of locating next of kin, or not?

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Understanding none of the issues regarding rent controlled dwelling in NYC, what are the ongoing issues for the owners of a rent controlled property ?

 

[ralyla]

Who owns this apartment???
If she did own it, who gets it now?

I believe this was only one bedroom (from some data I saw), but all NYC property is worth a lot.

A recent listing for another unit in the building seems to match the window in Gildas apartment:

1 Bedroom at 113 East 31st Street for $3,595 by Jorge Barrios | RentHop

1 Bedroom at 113 East 31st Street posted by Jorge Barrios for $3,595 - Apartment Rental

www.renthop.com

A lot of the listings are for 1 bed 1 bath.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Yes, I think I saw apt 2b as one bedroom. How Father, wife Mary ,and Gilda and Thomas overlapped, I cannot figure.
T re.me kt is normal here!now wha
@ralyla, can you share how you first came across this???? Is it still on namus????

boy, can I see how they might have wanted her out of there.....

who is willing to contact brother or nephew????

please, someone let me know what is normal here????

Is there a benefit to owners to declare "unknown person???????

 

[fred&edna]

Even without proper identification, I'm puzzled as to how she can be "unclaimed" if they haven't notified the next of kin of their tentatively identified body of GA? Why delay in reaching out to her brother... I mean if we have all found him we know it's dang easy. If they had time to add her to NAMUS then they had time to make a phone call to the sibling. Is he unreachable?

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I read more about this law that was passed in Dec 2022.... "Help Find the Missing" Act...

Pushed hard by Gabby Petito's family.

Apparently NY State requires "unidentified" deaths to go into NAMUS. Many other states do not, but now all states will be following the same principal, to better match the missing and the unidentified.

The long-awaited ‘Billy’s Law’ gets Biden’s signature

The bill has gone through a 15-year journey when it was passed in the U.S. House but stalled in the Senate in 2009.

www.fox61.com

With no drivers licence, and no family member to identify.... she goes into Namus automatically...

 

[fred&edna]

I read more about this law that was passed in Dec 2022.... "Help Find the Missing" Act...

Pushed hard by Gabby Petito's family.

Apparently NY State requires "unidentified" deaths to go into NAMUS. Many other states do not, but now all states will be following the same principal, to better match the missing and the unidentified.

The long-awaited ‘Billy’s Law’ gets Biden’s signature

The bill has gone through a 15-year journey when it was passed in the U.S. House but stalled in the Senate in 2009.

www.fox61.com

With no drivers licence, and no family member to identify.... she goes into Namus automatically...

Interesting. Thank you!

Still wonder why they haven't contacted the tentatively known brother.

 

[madamx]

This is sad. I think she inherited the rent controlled lease from her parents just by living there so long. But from the court papers it looks like the landlord never fixed anything in the apartment pretty much waiting for her to move out. This is how they try to push people out.
I am not surprised she had no drivers license as many of us city kids never learned to drive ( yes I include myself ha) but did she have a state ID.?
I see now the apartment 2B ( from on if the links on the thread) which I believe is hers is remodeled and on the market.

I wonder what caused the fire?? I don’t understand why next of kin has been so difficult to locate if it was done here on the thread. I wonder how many unidentified people really are identified but they just have not contacted next of kin because of lack of trying. This case makes me really sad.

Lastly… the only Gilda I’ve ever known is Gilda Radner

 

[ralyla]

Her apartment is now back on the market: https://streeteasy.com/building/113-east-31-street-new_york/2b

This case really bothers me.

 

[Lusitana]

Her apartment is now back on the market: For Rent: 113 East 31st St. in Midtown South

This case really bothers me.

When was the fire? Seems like a pretty fast renovation.

 

[ralyla]

When was the fire? Seems like a pretty fast renovation.

The fire was in March, so it took them about five months.

 

[madamx]

Her apartment is now back on the market: For Rent: 113 East 31st St. in Midtown South

This case really bothers me.

Yes me too.. does anyone know how the fire started?

 

[Binzer513]

Hello all. I’m new to this site, and only really joined to post in this thread. I used to work with a Gilda Abramowitz in NYC from 1998-2006. We lost touch after I changed jobs, and I had heard she had died a few years back, but I just today decided to google her obituary, and…found this thread.

The phone number I have in my address book matches the one linked to the 31st Street address. She had a brother named Bennett. She lived in a rent-controlled Manhattan apartment with a male roommate or boyfriend.

I saw something about an old school award for English… she was an editor and proofreader by profession.

And, in the seemingly likely event this case is the Gilda I knew, she pronounced it “Zhilda,” not with the hard G like Gilda Radner.

Now what?

 

[Kermitskorner]

Hello all. I’m new to this site, and only really joined to post in this thread. I used to work with a Gilda Abramowitz in NYC from 1998-2006. We lost touch after I changed jobs, and I had heard she had died a few years back, but I just today decided to google her obituary, and…found this thread.

The phone number I have in my address book matches the one linked to the 31st Street address. She had a brother named Bennett. She lived in a rent-controlled Manhattan apartment with a male roommate or boyfriend.

I saw something about an old school award for English… she was an editor and proofreader by profession.

On the profession end, did you happen to know any literature she worked on (maybe consistent topics) & any publishers she may have worked with (including any news reports or article companies that may have some of her work?).

I found this article statement from 79 matching her name and location you provided in which she's listed in the bottom half of the page. This document was written questioning the issues of "Gloria Steinem" association with the CIA. This article is largely discussing feminism and woman's rights at that current time and even mentions the Redstockings (a radical non-profit feminism group in NYC mainly influenced by Marxism).

https://womenwhatistobedone.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/sept-6-1979-statement-feminist-revolution-censored-section-restockings.pdf

 

[DS2021]

Hello all. I’m new to this site, and only really joined to post in this thread. I used to work with a Gilda Abramowitz in NYC from 1998-2006. We lost touch after I changed jobs, and I had heard she had died a few years back, but I just today decided to google her obituary, and…found this thread.

The phone number I have in my address book matches the one linked to the 31st Street address. She had a brother named Bennett. She lived in a rent-controlled Manhattan apartment with a male roommate or boyfriend.

I saw something about an old school award for English… she was an editor and proofreader by profession.

And, in the seemingly likely event this case is the Gilda I knew, she pronounced it “Zhilda,” not with the hard G like Gilda Radner.

Now what?

Wow! This might be the final piece of this puzzle, thank you so much for joining and sharing this with us!

 

[madamx]

Hello all. I’m new to this site, and only really joined to post in this thread. I used to work with a Gilda Abramowitz in NYC from 1998-2006. We lost touch after I changed jobs, and I had heard she had died a few years back, but I just today decided to google her obituary, and…found this thread.

The phone number I have in my address book matches the one linked to the 31st Street address. She had a brother named Bennett. She lived in a rent-controlled Manhattan apartment with a male roommate or boyfriend.

I saw something about an old school award for English… she was an editor and proofreader by profession.

And, in the seemingly likely event this case is the Gilda I knew, she pronounced it “Zhilda,” not with the hard G like Gilda Radner.

Now what?

Yes wow Amazing!!!! Thank you for joining and sharing the all this info on Gilda. Praying you can help piece this all together!!!!

 

[Binzer513]

Yes wow Amazing!!!! Thank you for joining and sharing the all this info on Gilda. Praying you can help piece this all together!!!!

So… now what?

 

[AliceInPain]

I'd contact the ME listed on NamUs if I thought I knew her.
I don't know if they could show you a photo so you could see if it looks like her or not.
Then they could contact her relatives for DNA to verify. I don't know why they haven't reached out to them already. Recognizable face, a name, an approximate age... so strange. I mean who else would it be but the person who'd lived there for 50+ years? Are they being lazy or do they have some reason to believe she's someone else? Maybe the landlord or a neighbour saw her and said it wasn't her? But wouldn't people be talking if that had happened...?
Either way, get the ball rolling, it's her or it isn't and if it's not we get a huge mystery to dig into!