Ex-wife speaks out after man's corpse abused on New York subway: 'He was a family man'

The man whose body was desecrated on a New York subway train is being remembered by his family as a devoted father and hardworking immigrant.

The man whose tragic death on a New York City R train shocked the nation last week is being remembered not for the disturbing circumstances that followed but for the life he lived as a devoted father and provider, reported Mirror.

Jorge Gonzalez, who died on April 8, was later found to have been sexually abused post-mortem on the subway.(Representational Image/Pexel)

Jorge Gonzalez, who passed away late at night on April 8, was later found to have been sexually abused post-mortem by another man on the subway. Surveillance footage reportedly captured the horrifying act shortly before the suspect exited the train at Whitehall Street station in Lower Manhattan.

Heartbreaking tribute

Despite the gruesome nature of the incident, Gonzalez’s estranged wife, Teresa, is urging the public to remember the man behind the headlines. “He wasn’t just a random person, he was a father, he was a family man, he cared about his family in Mexico,” said the 38-year-old, who had been separated from Gonzalez for six years.

“I want him to be remembered as the lively person that he was, that he had so many dreams and so many goals that he wanted to achieve. And that’s what I want to remember,” she added. “He was a person and he was somebody who had people that love him, who have people that miss him and have people who would have wanted something better for him.”

The couple married in 2012 and had a 13-year-old son together. Teresa recalled that Gonzalez, who moved to the U.S. from Mexico in 2005, worked a variety of jobs — from construction to kitchen work — all to support his family. But his life was marred by struggles with alcohol and health complications.

“He had been suffering,” Teresa said. “He had been battling with alcoholism, he had cirrhosis, so that pretty much just caught up to him.”

Authorities initially suspected Gonzalez died of natural causes, but a medical examiner has since stated the autopsy was inconclusive, prompting further investigation into the cause of death.

In the aftermath of the incident, Teresa has been trying to reclaim his body and ensure he receives a proper burial back in Mexico. “I just don’t understand how something like that could happen,” she said.