Sabina Rosas, Brooklyn artist, ID'd as woman killed at Shou Sugi Ban House in Water Mill

Sabina Rosas, whose body was found Monday at a Water Mill spa, was remembered as a multitalented artist and photographer who made her way to New York after a childhood in Central Asia.

Rosas, 33, of Brooklyn, whose death is being investigated as a homicide by Suffolk police, also went by the name Sabina Khorramdel. She had planned to visit her former art professor from Purchase College, Liz Phillips, in Queens this past weekend after returning from an international trip, according to Phillips. But she never showed. 

At 3:14 a.m. eastern time Saturday, she said Rosas texted her to tell her she was coming to New York. But at 6:50 p.m. Saturday, she wrote back, "23 hour flight — too exhausted to speak," and instead they planned to meet Monday. 

Phillips said she only learned of Rosas' death Tuesday from an artist nonprofit in Manhattan where she had recommended Rosas for a residency.

"I wish I knew what happened, but I’m not sure I want to know. I have no idea who she was with her last days," said Phillips, who added that Rosas often traveled and loved going to spas. "I’m horrified. She was so talented at so many things and so ambitious and getting her life together. It’s a horrible thing when a beautiful, talented young artist loses her life like this."

A family friend, Ryder Iwata, who said he represented the family, announced her death, referring to her as "our beloved daughter, sister, fiancee and friend."

"As the eldest of three daughters, Sabina brought excitement, adventure, joy and love to our family," the statement read. "We urge anyone with information regarding the circumstances of Sabina’s death to come forward."

Phillips said she mentored Rosas while she was a student for two years at Purchase College starting in 2018. 

"She was very talented in her sculptures and paintings and she had a great sense of style and aesthetic," Phillips said. "As a student, she added a huge amount of life to a classroom. She was fun, energetic and always making things. She was a pretty great person to have in class."

Police said Rosas was a victim of a homicide, but the cause of death will not be determined until an autopsy is done by the Suffolk Medical Examiner's Office. No arrests have been made.

A staff member at the spa, Shou Sugi Ban House in Water Mill, discovered the body of Rosas, who had been an overnight guest, police said.

According to an online biography on the website of an artist nonprofit, Rosas was born in Tajikistan in 1991, later moving with her family to Turkmenistan in 1993 and Crimea in 2000.

In 2003, she moved back to Tajikistan, where she graduated from high school and attended the Polytechnic University of Tajikistan before moving to the United States in 2009 and to Forest Hills in 2010. She later moved to Westchester to attend Purchase College.

Purchase confirmed that Rosas had graduated there in 2020 with a bachelor's degree in new media.

Rosas was the co-founder, along with her sister in Germany, of an online artist site called the Ruyo Journal. She also coproduced a video called Hafta about the extinction of flora and fauna and a family in Kazakhstan. Phillips said Rosas was currently working on profiles of the women of Central Asia.

Nitin Mukul, an artist in Jackson Heights, said in an email he worked briefly with Rosas, whom he referred to as Khorramdel, on a multimedia art project they mounted at a Queens plaza in 2021. The project was called "EMERGE" and included a durational painting by Mukul, a combination of video and painting using sheets of ice, with sound by Rosas.

Just last month, she was at the University of Central Asia, where she gave a presentation about an artist platform dedicated to discourse on Central Asia art and films.

A police investigation that began Monday afternoon at the spa-style resort continued into Tuesday morning, when detectives returned.

The spa did not respond to Newsday's requests for comment.

Suffolk detectives ask anyone with information regarding the death to call the homicide squad at 631-852-6392 or Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential, police said.