Retired NYC detective found dead in Pacifica motel room from apparent suicide was obsessed with Yelena Gorgo and Marisol Vilaro
More details have emerged in the death of a retired New York City police detective, painting an even darker picture of the final weeks of his life.
Ari Hershel Katz, 57, was discovered at the Seabreeze Motor Lodge last Friday night after the manager noticed a strong odor outside his room. Deputies from the San Mateo Sheriff’s Office responded to perform a wellness check. They found Katz dead of an apparent suicide by hanging. Based on the decomposition and the conditions in the room, investigators believe he died some time over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Though the circumstances of Katz’s death are not considered suspicious or indicative of foul play, what was discovered in his room has raised questions regarding his mental state and the obsessive investigation that led to his demise.
For eight years Katz investigated major crimes as part of the NYPD. His first big case was the East Harlem Rapist which culminated in the 1999 arrest and later conviction of Arohn Kee. In 2001, he was a lead detective in the NYPD investigation of 9/11.
Katz was a highly decorated officer, having earned multiple commendations over the course of his burgeoning career but it all came to an end in 2003 when he became violent with a restrained suspect during an interrogation. Though eventually cleared of any wrongdoing, the event left a stain on his career and he retired early to become a private investigator.
Mindy Katz, his daughter, in a statement given over the phone to deputy sheriffs, spoke about the psychological strain her father suffered after leaving the NYPD. After being a lifelong non-drinker, he turned to alcohol to treat his depression. Every few years he would try to cut back or quit but something would inevitably happen that would cause him to spiral back into a bottle.
Mindy stated that he had been doing better in the last couple years. He was going to meetings and changed his practice to focus on white collar investigations that wouldn’t remind him of his work as a police detective. All that changed in February 2023 when his wife, Mary Katz, was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Tests indicated that the disease had already metastasized to her spine and brain and she was given six months to live. Mary, however, wanted to fight. She had surgery to remove the tumors from her breast and back, then underwent multiple rounds of aggressive chemotherapy and radiation. Initially her body responded well to the treatments but by the end of the year her cancer had returned and was now spreading to her brain.
Her case was terminal and it destroyed Katz. His drinking overtook his life. His practice fell apart. Calls from debt collectors were nonstop. His relationship with his wife degraded to the point that they barely spoke to one another.
Mary passed away in May 2024 but not from cancer. She committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan, eerily similar to the way her husband would end his own life six months later in a motel room on the otherside of the country. According to Mindy, her mother’s suicide note found on the nearby bed placed the blame squarely on Katz.
Shortly after the funeral, Katz received a call from Spain. According to his notes, which were found in boxes near his body, a man listed as C. Farre contacted him concerned over his brother’s disappearance. His brother, Estaban, had traveled from Spain to Florida to visit his granddaughter, Marisol Vilaro, a professional wrestler and founder of a multinational fitness company.
This is where Katz’s obsession with Yelena Gorgo began.
Gorgo is an Olympic gold medalist, having represented Moldova in judo at the 2020 Tokyo games. She has since become a successful professional wrestler, holding multiple championships and now serves as CEO and Chair for the non-profit foundation formed by her father, Niels Gram, better known to wrestling fans as Spiral.
Gorgo also has a personal relationship with Vilaro and is the primary investor in her company, VilaroFIT. It’s this connection that led Katz down a path of wild conspiracy theories that began with the disappearance of Estaban Farre. From there his suspicions grew into a nationwide revenge plot against those who wronged her father.
The San Mateo Sheriff’s Office, however, has thrown cold water on the deceased’s accusations.
“All evidence concludes that Ari Katz was unwell,” said Sheriff Christina Corpus during a press conference Wednesday morning. “There were no signs of a struggle or forced entry and no other fingerprints were collected on scene. The investigation is still ongoing but all findings currently support the ruling of suicide by strangulation by the San Mateo County Coronor.”
When asked about whether Gorgo or Vilaro could have been involved in his death, she did not hold back.
“Based on Katz’s last known sighting and the forensic evidence collected post-mortem, he took his own life on Thanksgiving. Both Yelena Gorgo and Marisol Vilaro have witness-backed alibis. Katz was spent every night at the nearby bar drinking heavily. Friends and family have confirmed he was suffering from depression and alcoholism. It’s the finding of this Office that Katz committed suicide.”
As for the theories espoused by Katz, Corpus stated that there was no validity to the claims made by Katz.
“We have spoken to other law enforcement agencies, several of whom Katz had made contact with in the last month, including San Francisco PD. In every instance it was determined his claims had no basis in fact and appeared to be the product of mental illness and substance abuse.”
Before ending the press conference, Sheriff Corpus addressed a question regarding Gorgo and Vilaro’s participation in the investigation.
“Both have cooperated fully with my office. Gorgo met with deputies in-person Monday morning and investigators conducted a virtual interview with Vilaro on Tuesday. Their statements have been investigated to the fullest extent. Let me be clear: Yelena Gorgo and Marisol Vilaro were the targets of a disturbed man and have been cleared of any wrongdoing.”
Attempts to reach either woman for comment were initially rebuffed until Thursday, when Gorgo’s attorney, Jacqueline Sparagna, released the following statement.
“Ari Katz contacted Yelena Gorgo’s assistant on August 2nd, 2024. He claimed to be Leo Schwartz, a writer for Fortune magazine, and inquired about conducting an interview with Ms. Gorgo for the publication. On August 15, Ms. Gorgo met with Mr. Katz, who was still masquerading as Schwartz, at a restaurant in San Francisco. The interview began innocently enough but it quickly became apparent that Schwartz was not who he claimed to be.
“Once Ms. Gorgo became aware of his ulterior motives, he then made several unsubstantiated accusations. After unequivocally denying his claims, she left the restaurant, after which she made two phone calls. The first was to Marisol Vilaro to warn her about Katz because he had indicated he was attempting to meet with her as well. Ms. Gorgo then contacted our team to make us aware of the incident.
“On October 23, Ms. Gorgo met with Katz again after he left multiple messages in hopes of persuading him to leave her and Ms. Vilaro alone. A waiter working that day corroborated Ms. Gorgo’s statement that Mr. Katz became agitated and yelled before storming out. Ms. Gorgo ceased all contact with Mr. Katz from that point forward.
“Ms. Gorgo has dedicated her life to helping others through the Niels Gram Foundation. She is a pillar of the community and a law-abiding citizen. The character she plays on television in her professional wrestling career is not representative of who she is outside of the ring nor is it indicative of her moral standing. Any suggestion that Ms. Gorgo is connected to any criminal activity is preposterous.”