Police search for killer who beat mother to death in front of her 7-year-old daughter

EAST HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- Family members and advocates gathered Monday night in East Harlem to mourn Lovay Williams, a 27-year-old mother found dead in her Washington Heights apartment Sunday afternoon in what police are investigating as a domestic violence killing.

Green balloons were released in her honor as relatives described Williams as a devoted mother whose 7-year-old daughter is now left without her. "She should be here to take care of her own child," said her mother, Monica Manners. Her father, Nuquan Williams, said, "She loved music, she loved people, most importantly she loved her daughter."

Williams' parents said the 7-year-old girl witnessed the killing at the hands of a man their daughter had been dating. "She witnessed the whole murder, yes," Williams' father said. "He tried to clean her up, he tried to put her in the bathtub. After he put her in the bathtub tried to clean the house down. Put her back into the bed. Put the covers over her trying to think about, you know, his getaway plan. And my granddaughter just laid next to my daughter as my daughter was asleep because she don't know her mother is dead."

Police said Williams was found unconscious and unresponsive inside her apartment on 156th Street. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Loved ones described the violence as senseless. "He's the devil," the victim's father said. "Anytime you'd kill a young female in front of her- anytime you put your hands on a woman - you a piece of garbage."

Domestic violence activists joined the vigil, urging greater awareness. "It's a silent killer that is killing women on the regular and it's the signs we need to understand," said Stephanie Mcgraw, founder of WARM.

Relatives remembered Williams as a caring single mother. "Very attentive to her child. Best mom in the world," her brother said. "It's just sad and unfortunate that this happened to my sister."

Police sources said investigators are treating the case as domestic in nature and know who they are seeking.