Rachel Minaya’s youngest son, Teddy, said his mother’s shocking death over the weekend has left a void in the family.
“That’s the only way to describe it,” Teddy told The Daily Mail outside the family’s New Jersey home. ‘We love her, and we miss her — there will be a void … she’ll be here with us in spirit.”
He added: “But, for now, we’re just we’re just taking it easy, and want people to respect our privacy.”
Rachel, the wife of Yankees senior advisor t baseball operations and former Mets general manager Omar Minaya, was found dead Saturday in the family’s Harrington, N.J. home.
Omar and Rachel shared two sons — Justin, a forward for the Trail Blazers, and Teddy — and the longtime executive was not present at the time of his wife’s death.
Police found Rachel, 55, unconscious and tried to resuscitate her before she was pronounced dead at Hackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, N.J.
Teddy told The Daily Mail the family was “shocked” to learn of Rachel’s death, and he and Justin have joined their father at the family’s home.
Harrington Park Police Department Chief Robert Murphy did not rule out suicide, saying “it’s up in the air” and “nothing has been ruled out yet.”
“The circumstances involved do not appear suspicious, however a ruling on the cause and manner of death is pending,” Bergen County prosecutor Mark Musella’s office said via a press release. “Additional details are not available for release while this investigation continues.”
The Yankees held a moment of silence for Rachel before Thursday’s 9-1 win over the Rays.
“The Yankees are devastated to learn of the passing of Rachel Minaya, the wife of Yankees Baseball Operations Senior Advisor Omar Minaya,” the team said in a statement. “To those closest to her, she was a loving and compassionate mother and wife, and a huge supporter of her family and loved ones.
“In a very short time, Omar has become a beloved member of the Yankees organization, where he regularly displays his unique ability to connect with people of diverse backgrounds. Over the course of his distinguished career in the game, he has freely given to others with kindness and friendship, and in this unthinkable time, we offer Omar, his sons Justin and Teddy, and their family and friends our profound condolences. His family is an extension of the baseball family, and this is a loss that is deeply felt among all of us.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the team was “heartbroken” after learning of the tragic news.
“It’s very hard,” Boone said Monday. “My heart goes out to O and his family and the situation. I don’t want to get too far into it, just because I haven’t even talked to O about it yet.”