Police Investigating After Decomposing Body Of Female Found In Trunk Of Vehicle In West Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Police are working to solve a disturbing puzzle in West Philadelphia where a decomposing body was found in a car Tuesday afternoon in the 5000 block of Merion Avenue.
The woman's body, which was discovered shortly before 2:30 p.m. in an industrial area, was so badly decomposed police are not sure of the victim's age or race.
The gruesome discovery was made in the trunk of a silver Dodge Charger. Police say they're unsure how long the person has been there.
"I thought it was the trash," Andrew Jones said.
Jones says he smelled the stench two days ago as he stopped by the next door shop to have his car serviced.
"Honestly, my sister just (expletive) told me, 'They just found a body in West Philly.' And I pulled up here and I see it here. I'm like 'Woah, That's scary. That's (expletive) scary,'" Jones explained.
The vehicle itself was parked on the property of Superior Automotives, a towing company.
One employee who was on the scene spoke with detectives. It's unclear if he is the one who discovered the body.
Police say the body inside the car could have been towed to the area.
The vehicle had heavy front-end damage, which could be seen as it was towed away to be processed by crime scene detectives.
Police say they're also unsure of how the woman died. No weapon was recovered at the scene or in the car.
CBS3's Greg Argos contributed to this report.