Family of woman shot to death in Queens seeks justice as NYPD searches for her fiancé

The sister of a woman police say was killed and left to decay for two weeks in a Queens home in June is begging for the public’s help in tracking down her suspected killer. Melanie Apostol said she hopes someone will recognize images of 55-year-old Mark Washington, which police released Tuesday as they search for him in connection with the killing of her sister, 38-year-old Angelique Apostol. Police have identified Washington, who was Angelique Apostol's fiancé, as a suspect in her death. Officers discovered Angelique Apostol dead inside a house on a tree-lined stretch of 205th Street and 113th Road in St. Albans on June 24, although it was later determined she’d been killed on June 10, according to police.

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Scoop News DeskQueens, New York · Published Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 6:10 PM UTCUpdated Thursday, September 3, 2026 at 8:45 PM UTC

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But the number of people arrested for domestic violence incidents is up just over 2% so far this year, according to police data. Melanie Apostol said her sister was a fun-loving woman who “liked to put a smile on people’s faces.” Angelique Apostol had no children of her own, but had recently completed a home health aide course to help take care of two of her sister's kids, who have special needs. “We're not dealing with it well because there was no closure,” Melanie Apostol said. “It's a disgrace because she loved him, and he claimed he loved her.” Murders linked to domestic violence are trending down citywide, with 32 recorded through mid-August this year — the lowest number in that timeframe since 2007, according to the NYPD.

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