Evelyn Rayo-Mairena, 24, was found unresponsive and seriously injured on Black Rock Avenue in Bridgeport on the evening of October 21, 2025. Officers had been called after an abandoned child was reported on a nearby porch; Evelyn was discovered a short distance from her home, where she lived with her one-year-old daughter. She was taken to St. Vincent’s Medical Center and later pronounced dead. An autopsy determined she died of gunshot wounds to the head and neck with an associated spinal cord injury; the death was ruled a homicide.

Evelyn was a native of Nicaragua and described by family and friends as a devoted mother with a warm smile. Her infant daughter was found unharmed, evaluated at Bridgeport Hospital, and then reunited with family through the state’s Department of Children and Families; the child is now in the care of her father. Homicide detectives say they are reviewing substantial surveillance footage and are investigating domestic violence as a possible motive, but no arrests or suspects have been publicly identified. Investigators have stated Evelyn’s longtime partner and the child’s father, Deglis Perez, is not a suspect or person of interest.

Anyone with information about what happened that night is asked to contact the Bridgeport Police Department.