SHE TOLD HER MOTHER SHE WAS “DOING FINE” — DAYS LATER, PAMELA CISNEROS WOULD BE AT THE CENTER OF A SHOCKING TIMES SQUARE TRAGEDY

Just days before Pamela Cisneros became the woman at the center of a shocking Times Square tragedy, her family believed she was doing okay.

There was no obvious warning.

No dramatic goodbye.

No indication that something devastating was about to unfold.

Her brother says Cisneros had struggled with mental health problems for years, but in recent years she appeared to be doing much better.

Then, in the days leading up to Aug. 31, something seemed to change.

And now her family is left trying to understand what happened during those final days — and what could have led to the events that claimed the life of 32-year-old Bank of America vice president Erin Piacenti.

SHE HAD SEEMED STABLE FOR YEARS

Cisneros, 49, was a mother of three who lived in Queens.

According to her brother, Patrick Peralta, she had dealt with psychiatric difficulties for decades, including what he described as bipolar disorder and postpartum depression.

But her family said there had been a period of relative stability.

Peralta told reporters that she had been receiving treatment and appeared to be doing well for several years.

He also said he had never known his sister to be aggressive.

That is part of what has made the events in Times Square so difficult for the family to comprehend.

THEN HER FAMILY STARTED TO WORRY

In the week before the Times Square incident, relatives noticed that Cisneros was not behaving as usual.

Peralta said she stopped showing up for family meals and was not responding to calls as she normally would.

The change concerned those closest to her.

But when her mother eventually reached her by phone on the Saturday before the tragedy, Cisneros reportedly told her that she was okay.

For her family, that conversation now carries a painful significance.

Because just days later, everything changed.

THE MOMENT THAT CHANGED TWO FAMILIES

On the afternoon of Aug. 31, Cisneros encountered two strangers in the heart of Times Square.

Police say she first approached 68-year-old Tak Kam, who was visiting New York to see his son.

She allegedly stabbed him in the abdomen.

Only seconds later, police say she attacked Piacenti.

Piacenti, 32, was on her way home after returning to work following five months of maternity leave.

She had recently welcomed her first child, five-month-old Madison, and had been building a new life with her husband, Frank, in Chester, New Jersey.

The two incidents happened within roughly 20 seconds, according to NYPD officials.

Kam survived.

Piacenti did not.

POLICE CONFRONTED CISNEROS MOMENTS LATER

Officers located Cisneros nearby while she was still holding two large knives.

Police say officers spent several minutes ordering her to put the weapons down.

They attempted to use Tasers, but those efforts did not stop her.

Authorities say Cisneros then moved toward the officers while still holding the knives.

Two officers opened fire.

Cisneros was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The NYPD Force Investigation Division is reviewing the police response.

BUT WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE TIMES SQUARE?

That remains one of the biggest unanswered questions.

Police have confirmed that Cisneros had previous mental-health-related encounters with officers in 2018 and 2019.

One 2019 incident involved an apparent attempt to jump in front of a subway train, according to an internal police report obtained by The New York Times.

Her brother, however, said she had appeared much more stable in recent years.

That makes the family’s observations from the final week especially difficult to process.

She had missed family gatherings.

She had become less responsive.

But when her mother finally spoke with her, she reportedly said she was fine.

Then came Times Square.

ERIN’S FAMILY IS LEFT WITH A DIFFERENT KIND OF QUESTION

While Cisneros’ relatives are trying to understand what happened to her, Erin Piacenti’s family is facing the devastating loss of a young mother who had only just returned to work.

Piacenti had spent five months on maternity leave with her newborn daughter.

Four days before the incident, she had shared a photo of herself with Madison and her husband, celebrating the final days of that time together.

She described herself as deeply grateful for the five months she had spent with her baby.

Then she went back to work.

On her first day back, she never made it home.

TWO FAMILIES, ONE UNANSWERED TIMELINE

The tragedy has left two families dealing with completely different forms of grief.

Erin’s loved ones are mourning a wife, daughter, friend and new mother whose future was just beginning.

Cisneros’ relatives are trying to understand how someone they believed had been doing better could suddenly become involved in such a devastating incident.

Her brother has expressed sympathy for Piacenti’s family while saying he cannot explain what happened to his sister.

And that may be the question investigators, relatives and the public will continue asking:

What changed between the phone call when Pamela Cisneros told her mother she was okay — and the moment she entered Times Square?

Authorities have not publicly established a clear motive for the attacks.

For now, the timeline remains incomplete.

And somewhere inside those missing hours may be the answer to the question everyone is still trying to understand.