Francis Lee Rogers, a 63-year-old artist known as the “Grandma Moses of Central Park” for her bird and flora paintings, was found beaten to death under a gazebo in the park she called home.

Though she was unhoused, Rogers had become a fixture in Central Park, often seen in the heavily wooded Ramble section where she would paint and observe the birds.

“We used to call her the Grandma Moses of Central Park,” said Robert “Birding Bob” DeCandido, a fellow park enthusiast. “But she probably wouldn’t want all this sympathy. She didn’t call attention to herself.”

Rogers’ path to Central Park was a difficult one. She went by multiple names throughout her life and was the subject of a 2007 documentary called Begging Naked, in which she recounted her turbulent journey, from running away from home at a young age to surviving as a sex worker and overcoming a heroin addiction.

Her art and birdwatching in Central Park offered her a sanctuary during the trials of her life, and her untimely death serves as a poignant reminder of the struggles faced by many who find solace in nature.