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Police identify woman found dead at luxury apartment building in Manhattan

Police identify body of woman found in Chelsea apartment building
Police identify body of woman found in Chelsea apartment building 01:43

NEW YORK -- Police are investigating the death of a 24-year-old woman after her body was found in a trash compactor at a luxury apartment building in Manhattan.

Investigators scoured the luxury apartment building on West 28th Street near 11th Avenue in Chelsea on Friday night after they received calls about a woman's body found in the basement earlier in the day.

Police now confirm  24-year-old Jaclyn Elmquist fell down a garbage chute.

Flyers about the missing woman from Brooklyn spread across social media early Friday, shared by family and friends. The flyers said Elmquist was last seen at a nearby restaurant around 11:30 Thursday night for a work party about 10 blocks away.

Loved ones posting on social media say Elmquist then went to a nearby bar and was put in a yellow cab by her coworkers. Her phone's location apparently showed she was just four blocks up from the Chelsea apartment building before the phone died. Those who live near the building were stunned by her death.

"It's horrifying and it's surprising," neighbor Steve Press said.

Building employees confirm she didn't live there and entered the building alone.

"It is devastating to hear, I can't even imagine that happening or thinking about the family who's gonna have to hear this," said Brian Ducovna, from Cleveland, Ohio.

It's unclear why Elmquist was at the apartment building in Chelsea, but police Saturday said no criminality is suspected. The medical examiner's office will determine how she died.

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