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Woman found dead inside trash can in Brooklyn identified as mom of 5
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Brittany Kriegstein
Published Sep 23, 2026
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Brittany Kriegstein
Published Sep 23, 2026
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The woman whose body was found in a garbage can near a Brooklyn beach last week was a mother to five children who are all looking for answers to explain what happened to her, according to family members.
Tanaya Campbell Ortiz, 38, of Hollis, Queens, was identified late Tuesday as the woman officers discovered dead and wrapped in blankets inside a trash receptacle at Plumb Beach in Sheepshead Bay.
Her death is not yet being considered a homicide as police wait for the medical examiner to determine how she died. NYPD officials said she was found with bruising, but it was not severe enough to have killed her.
Her husband Mike Ortiz — who has been living in Florida since the couple separated more than a decade ago — said he feels there must be more to the story.
" She would never abandon her children, ever. She will never just get up and disappear,” Ortiz told Gothamist by phone on Wednesday. “There's something more deeper that's going on.”
After years without communicating much, Ortiz said he and his wife started texting again this spring – making plans for Ortiz to come to New York to visit their 18-year-old daughter, whom he had not seen since she was a baby.
“ If she was crying out for help or something, I would notice that,” he said. “I wasn’t really noticing any red flags.”
Ortiz said that his estranged wife had most recently been working as an exotic dancer – something she had been doing for years after some modeling jobs. He said he’d also heard that she was dating someone new, but he didn’t know many details about that relationship.
“ There's nothing in the world possible that she could have said or did to lead someone to do this to her,” Ortiz said.
He said Campbell Ortiz’s death came “out of nowhere,” and said he is planning to come to New York City to rally all her children together to find out more about her final days.
One of her daughters, Julissa Hernandez, organized a GoFundMe to raise money for the funeral.
“Tanaya had not been herself recently, so seeing all of this unfold is hard to even understand, especially because we had just recently seen or spoken with her,” she wrote. “The shock of losing her this way has left our family heartbroken and struggling to face what comes next.”
Since Campbell Ortiz’s death was not immediately ruled a homicide, police did not provide any description of a possible suspect. Officials said detectives were still investigating.
Ortiz said the last two messages he tried sending his wife in July and August went unanswered.
“It’s not making sense,” he said.
Tagged
brooklyn
public safety
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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