A man whose body was sickeningly sexually abused after he died on a New York subway had been suffering from serious health issues, his estranged wife has said.
Jorge Gonzalez was found dead on the New York City’s R train last week. His corpse was disgustingly mistreated by a random stranger, with the attack caught on CCTV before the assailant vanished. Jorge’s estranged wife, Teresa, said he was an adored dad to who deeply loved his family in Mexico.
Sadly, in recent years he had been plagued by ill health brought on by a history of alcohol abuse, she said. “He had been suffering,” said Teresa. “He had been battling with alcoholism, he had cirrhosis, so that pretty much just caught up to him.”
Cirrhosis is caused by long-term damage to the liver. Regularly drinking more than 50 units of alcohol for man, or 35 units for women, could lead to the condition, according to the NHS.
Jorge had been known to ride the subway trains for long periods of time while drinking, Teresa claimed. He had also been living apart from his wife for a six years before his death.
She told the New York Post that the construction worker moved to the US 15 years ago from Mexico in hope of providing for his family back home, she told the New York Post.
But, despite his troubled life, Teresa wanted Jorge to be remembered for his dedication to family life full of “so many dreams”. “He wasn’t just a random person, he was a father, he was a family man, he cared about his family in Mexico,” his 38-year-old wife recounted.
“I want him to be remembered as the lively person that he was, that he had so many dreams and so many goals that he wanted to achieve. And that’s what I want to remember … he was a person and he was somebody who had people that love him, who have people that miss him and have people who would have wanted something better for him.”
The mystery surrounding Jorge’s death continued this week, after a medical examiner announced that an autopsy failed to conclusively determine the cause of his death.
It suggested further research was needed, despite prior claims he might have died from natural causes.
At about 11.45pm on April 8, security footage captured a man violating Jorge’s body shortly after his death. The abhorrent incident took place moments before the man left the Whitehall Street station in Lower Manhattan, police said.
Teresa is steadfastly working to retrieve her late husband’s remains so they can be transported back to Mexico, ensuring he receives a dignified resting place with his relatives. “I just don’t understand how something like that could happen,” expressed a bewildered Teresa.
If you would like to talk to someone about your drinking or someone else’s, you can have a free and confidential chat with someone at Drinkline who is trained to help by calling 0300 123 1110
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