She Called Her Dad for Help. He Says He Heard Her Murder During a 14-Minute Call

Andrea Cantarini reached for her father when she feared for her life. According to Rudy Cantarini, what followed was 14 minutes of pleading with the man holding his daughter at gunpoint, before a gunshot ended any hope of bringing her home.

Andrea, 37, and her boyfriend, Juan Cornelio Diaz, 38, were found dead inside a Riverdale apartment on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Police sources have described the Bronx shooting as a suspected murder-suicide.

But the account her father has shared makes this case especially difficult to read. Rudy is a retired NYPD officer. On this night, he was a father on the other end of a phone, trying to keep his daughter alive.

A Call No Father Should Receive

Rudy told the New York Post that Andrea called him at 8:47 p.m. Tuesday. He said Diaz was holding a gun to her head, and that she was pleading for her life.

“I was on the phone with her for 14 minutes…She was begging for her life,” he told the newspaper.

According to his account, he tried to persuade Diaz to release her. Instead, he heard the shot that killed his daughter. Diaz then fatally shot himself.

These details come from a grieving father’s recollection, rather than a publicly released recording. That distinction matters as investigators continue piecing together what happened inside the apartment.

What stays with me is the length of that call. Fourteen minutes is long enough to keep hoping that something will change, that someone will put down the weapon, open a door, or let help reach the person in danger.

What Police Found in Riverdale

According to amNewYork, officers responded to the apartment on Blackstone Avenue shortly after 9 p.m. The outlet reported that Andrea’s father had contacted 911 after receiving the alarming call.

Officers found Andrea in a bedroom with a gunshot wound to her head. Diaz was found nearby, also with a gunshot wound to his head. Emergency medical personnel pronounced both dead at the scene, and investigators recovered a firearm.

Police sources told amNewYork that the preliminary investigation pointed to a domestic dispute preceding the suspected murder-suicide. The investigation remained ongoing in the reporting available for this article.

Those findings establish the scene officers encountered. They do not, by themselves, answer every question about the events leading up to the shooting or the precise sequence of the emergency calls and response.

Her Boyfriend Was a Federal Officer

The New York Post identified Diaz as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer assigned to John F. Kennedy International Airport. The newspaper reported that CBP was aware of the apparent murder-suicide and was cooperating with the NYPD.

His employment adds another element investigators will need to examine. The reporting reviewed for this article does not establish whether the recovered firearm was his service weapon.

It is an important question, but an unanswered question should remain exactly that until authorities provide evidence.

A Young Daughter Was Away From the Apartment

Neighbors told News 12 that Andrea and Diaz shared a 6-year-old daughter, and that the child was not inside the apartment during the shooting.

That detail offers some relief in an otherwise devastating account. It also leaves a child facing the loss of her parents.

Residents described a family they regularly encountered around the complex. Neighbor Karla Evangelista told News 12 that the couple had moved to another part of the property about a month earlier to have more space. She remembered Andrea as kind and helpful.

Other neighbors described recent signs of distress and recalled hearing yelling. Those observations offer pieces of context, although they cannot establish a complete history of the relationship.

Andrea’s Life Deserves More Than a Crime Headline

One of the most meaningful details about Andrea comes from a story published well before her death.

In May 2025, CUNY featured her in an article about students balancing college and parenthood. She was finishing the nursing program at Bronx Community College, with her then-4-year-old daughter expected to attend her graduation.

Andrea described the demands of her coursework and the support she received from the college’s Early Childhood Center. Knowing her daughter was being cared for helped her concentrate on classes and studying.

She was also working part-time as a mental health worker at a psychiatric hospital. Her next goal was to take the nursing licensing exam that summer and begin working as an RN.

By the time of her death, PEOPLE reported, she was a registered nurse at St. Barnabas Health System.

That earlier profile captures a woman working toward something: a career, a graduation, and a future with her daughter. It gives readers a glimpse of Andrea in her own life, before the circumstances of her death became public.

The Questions That Remain

Investigators still have a timeline to establish, including the sequence of threats described by Andrea’s father, the emergency response, and the firearm’s origin. Her father’s account deserves careful attention without turning every reported detail into a confirmed police finding.

For me, the hardest part of this story is the contrast between Andrea’s plans and the call her father now has to remember. A mother who had worked through nursing school should have had years ahead to build that life.

What would you most like investigators to clarify about this case? Share your thoughts below, and please keep Andrea’s daughter and family in mind when commenting.