Photo: Red Hook Murder Victim Sharon Whigham

RED HOOK, BROOKLYN — In the hope of aiding their investigation, police have released the above photo of Sharon Whigham, a 51-year-old Red Hook resident who was murdered last week in the neighborhood.

Whigham was found early on the morning of May 19 on a bench outside 110 West 9 Street, the location of the Miccio Community Center, according to the NYPD.

Her throat had been been cut, according to investigators, in what was soon determined to be a homicide.

In an interview with DNAinfo, Pretty Isaac, Whigham's 36-year-old niece, said her aunt had seven children, and described her as "a great person" and "a sweetheart."

The New York Daily News reported last week that police were questioning Whigham's boyfriend, who served time in prison after stabbing a homeless man.

One of the boyfriend's neighbors, Shakur Almahi, told the Daily News that she heard him yelling in anger on the night of the murder. Almahi said he and Whigham would often "get in crazy fights."

Whigham herself had been arrested seven times, including twice for drug possession, the paper reported.

But nearby resident Damien Scott, who operates a mentoring program in Red Hook, told the paper that "She was really a part of the community."

Anyone with information on Whigham's murder can confidentially report it via the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers website or anonymously call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

Los hispanohablantes pueden llamar 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Tips can also be text-messaged to the NYPD by texting 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577.

Whigham was murdered in the NYPD's 76th Precinct.

According to official police statistics, through May 15, major crimes in the 76th were collectively down nearly 19 percent compared to the same time period last year.

One murder had been reported in the 76th through May 15, the same number as during that time period in 2015.