The Mott Haven community held a vigil Saturday night for the 37-year-old woman who police say was found dead with her neck slashed early in the morning inside her apartment.

Dozens of candles and flowers rested on the sidewalk in front of the very building where Bjana James was found dead.

Many people who were at the gathering said the situation was sad and disturbing.

Investigators say James was found dead just before 3 a.m. with a slash wound to her throat and a knife on her chest with no sign of forced entry to the apartment building on East 147th Street.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim's family says they believe they know who the culprit is. They say they last heard from James on Wednesday after she sent a text saying she was scared for her life and thought she would be harmed by that person.

They say a red flag came when the family texted her, but to no reply. That's when they say one of her brothers went to her apartment, found the door unlocked and James dead.

The family describes the mother of two children, ages 8 and 12, as someone who enjoyed taking pictures with family and friends to preserve memories, playing cards and her job at a nearby casino.

The two children were not with her at the time of the discovery.

No arrests have been made yet. The investigation is ongoing.