A Brooklyn fashion designer was found dead in her home this week, with a scarf around her neck, according to law enforcement sources on Friday. Svitlana Indelicato, 50, who designed handbags, scarves, and Pashmina shawls, was found unconscious and unresponsive by her husband in a room of their Bensonhurst home on 80th Street near 16th Avenue.
He called the police around 5 a.m. on Thursday, according to sources. A scarf was wrapped around her neck, according to the sources. EMS workers responded and pronounced Indelicato dead at the scene, according to the police. Police have launched an investigation and it is unclear if Indelicato was murdered or she committed suicide.
Murder or Suicide Unclear, Injury Marks Found
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The NYPD described her injuries as “trauma” to the neck.
No arrests have been made, and the city’s medical examiner’s office will officially determine the cause of her death.
Police were seen guarding the entrance to the home on Friday, as detectives returned to the scene to piece together what happened inside.
Indelicato was known in the community as a leather artist and handbag maker who sold her products online. Her brother-in-law lives in the apartment directly below hers.
“Always smiling, lot of small talk, just very kind,” the relative said. “It was awful when I heard about it, absolutely awful … When I had omicron Covid, I was coughing a lot, and she heard it and came downstairs, in case I needed anything.”
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Indelicato sold bags on her Etsy shop, VitalTemptation, and scarves on her shop, ScarfObsession.
“I work with wool, silk and other natural fibers using very unique and almost forgotten techniques while creating my designs,” Indelicato wrote on LinkedIn, describing her work.
“I use felting, [which] is an ancient textile art, where manipulating wool, warm soapy water and rolling, squeezing and rubbing creates a very special one-of-a-kind piece.”
The victim’s husband has been speaking with the police. The husband told police he woke up and found Indelicato dead in another room of the apartment, according to a police source familiar with the case.
Detectives are waiting for the medical examiner to determine the cause of death.
