(CNN) -- A Nicaraguan diplomat based in New York was found dead in his apartment in the Bronx on Thursday, his throat slashed, police said.
The consul of Nicaragua in New York, Cesar Mercado, was found by his driver, said Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne.
A knife was found at the scene, Browne said.
He said it is too early in the investigation to classify the death as a murder or a suicide.
"It's not known yet," he said.
Mercado's driver may have been picking him up to take him to meet with the Nicaraguan delegation attending the United Nations General Assembly, police said.
Mercado was found at about 10:30 a.m., said Danilo Rosales Diaz, deputy permanent representative of Nicaragua to the United States.
"We have absolutely no clue what would be the reasons for what would apparently be a horrendous murder, (but) forensics will tell the story," Rosales told CNN. "It's premature to say (if it is a murder)".
CNN
