A 53-year-old man from New York has been arrested in connection with the killing of his estranged wife, who was discovered dead with chemical burns on her face at her Long Island home.
According to the Nassau County Police Department, 46-year-old Aleena Asif was found dead inside her residence on October 17. Her estranged husband, Asif Quereshi, was later taken into custody and charged in connection with her murder.
Investigators said Asif had been in the process of filing for divorce when the incident occurred. On the day of her death, Quereshi allegedly broke into the home and waited until their three children left for school before attacking her.
Police were called later that afternoon after Asif’s 18-year-old child became concerned when the family’s 7-year-old had not been picked up as planned. Responding officers found Asif’s body inside the house. Authorities confirmed she died from asphyxiation caused by an unidentified chemical substance.
The case has shaken the local community. “She was a very beautiful human being and very hardworking. She didn’t deserve this kind of death,” a family member told CBS News.
Detectives said the couple’s relationship had become volatile and that Quereshi had shown a pattern of stalking prior to the murder. “He refused to accept those divorce papers and started showing up at her house,” Detective Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick said.
According to police, Asif had filed four separate reports expressing fear for her safety and claimed Quereshi had threatened to make her swallow bleach.
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Online court records show that Quereshi, described by CBS News as an unemployed software engineer, has been charged with second-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty. His attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
