Erin Piacenti had finished her first day back from maternity leave at Bank of America on Monday afternoon, when she was fatally stabbed in Times Square. A few days after her death, a GoFundMe page to support her five-month-old, Madison, has raised more than $650,000.
Piacenti, who was 32 when she died, was a vice president at the firm’s Business Selection and Conflicts group, the team responsible for analyzing new potential business mandates in the investment bank. She’d been at the bank for around 18 months before Monday afternoon, when Pamela Cisneros, 49, fatally stabbed her in the abdomen in what New York City police described as an unprovoked attack. Cisneros also injured another victim before officers shot and killed her at the scene.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague,” a Bank of America spokesperson said in a statement. “She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones.”
Piacenti’s career gives a glimpse into her life, the GoFundMe page says, adding that she was “a thoughtful daughter and sister, a loyal friend, a devoted partner and companion in every aspect of Frank’s life, and, most recently, an incredibly loving mother to Madison.” In photos on the fundraising page, Piacenti wraps Madison in a towel on a rocky beach and, grinning, holds her in a white dress at what appears to be her baptism.
She’d recently celebrated her second wedding anniversary with Frank Piacenti, whom she met at Fordham Law School. They worked together for at least two years on the Fordham Law Review, according to past editions. A representative for the university said the school is “heartbroken to learn of the tragic and senseless loss of our alumna.”
A family spokesperson said in a statement that they are “devastated by the loss of Erin and request privacy at this time,” and asked that people donate to the GoFundMe in lieu of other gifts.
Before joining Bank of America, Piacenti worked at the law firm Davis Polk for more than three years, focusing on mergers and acquisitions for part of that time, according to an email sent out to the law firm’s employees after she was identified. A Davis Polk spokesperson said in a statement that she will be “greatly missed.”
When she was an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, Piacenti was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority and sang in an a capella group, belting pop songs in YouTube videos.
Piacenti’s death comes just over a year after a gunman killed Wesley LePatner, an executive in Blackstone’s real estate business, at her office. Though different in circumstance, both events shook Wall Street’s sense of safety and sparked an outpouring of support.
As of Thursday afternoon, donations continued to pour into the GoFundMe from more than 6,700 contributors.
