Florida mom found with zip tie around her neck: Possible person of interest identified, Sanford police say

911 calls released in Sanford mom's death

The Sanford Police Department said it is investigating the death of a woman who was found last month in a home with a zip tie wrapped around her neck as a homicide – not a suicide – and that detectives have identified a possible "person of interest."

SANFORD, Fla. - The Sanford Police Department said it is investigating the death of a woman who was found last month in a home with a zip tie wrapped around her neck as a homicide – not a suicide – and that detectives have identified a possible "person of interest."

Joysee Cartagena Clemente, 49, was found on July 17 inside her home with a "large zip tie" around her neck, police said. Paramedics tried to save her life, but she died at the scene.

On Tuesday, Sanford police said a possible person of interest – someone with alleged ties to Clemente – had been identified. However, no one has been named a suspect nor has anyone been arrested. Police also did not elaborate on how the alleged "person of interest" was connected to Clemente.

Woman found with zip tie around neck

The Sanford Police Department said a 49-year-old woman was found unconscious with a large zip tie tied around her neck and later died. FOX 35 News spoke with the victim's son, Steven Rivera Cartagena, who described his mother as a "personal best friend."

Police also said it was believed to be an isolated incident and that there was no general threat to the public.

A colleague contacted 911 and requested a welfare check at Clemente's home after she had apparently logged on to her job that morning, but no one was able to reach her.

"It's very unlike her to just kind of disappear," a woman told the 911 dispatcher, according to a copy of the call that was released to FOX 35 via a public records request. It was not immediately clear who Clemente worked for.

A spokesperson for Seminole County Public Schools confirmed that Clemente previously worked for the district as a secretary and a clerk at Spring Lake Elementary School in Altamonte Springs, and then at Lawton Elementary School in Oviedo.

FOX 35 spoke with Clemente's son, Steven Rivera Cartagena. He described his mother as his "personal best friend."

"My mom was my world to me. That's all I knew, and that's all I wanted to know," he said. "Losing her, it just kind of made me feel like I was an orphan in a way. I was like, 'What do I do?'"

Sanford News Crime and Public Safety