Authorities look to ID woman found dead in pond, tied to cinderblock

EAST COVENTRY TOWNSHIP, PA (WTXF) - Investigators are looking into a gruesome find in Chester County. District attorney Tom Hogan announced a woman was found, dead in a pond, with her body tied to a cinderblock. Authorities released pictures in hopes somebody can help identify her.

When Jason Rutter moved to his new home in rural East Coventry Township on Sunday he had no idea what he would find on Monday just a block away.

"It was the water near the drain pipe," said Rutter as he explained how he found the lifeless body of an woman in Pigeon Creek.

Chester County investigators say the still unidentified woman was found half naked in the creek tied to a cinderblock.

"It kind of hit me like it's really happened to an area where me and my children just moved to," said Rutter who moved here from Royersford with his wife and 3 daughters.

Police were called to the Pigeon Creek local fishing hole on Zieber Road around 11 a.m. Memorial Day when Rutters found the body. He called 911 and when investigators arrived they knew someone had placed the body in the water.

"Somebody feels down and the find the woman's body is actually attached to a cinderblock," said Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan. Hogan says someone dumped the body between 3 p.m. Sunday and 11 a.m. Monday.

He also says the victim, an African American woman had no gunshot wounds, no signs of strangulation or blunt force trauma. He also says an autopsy revealed the woman had no water in her lungs which means he says "she was dead before she got there"

On Tuesday night, flowers marked the spot near Pigeon Creek as nearby residents walked by asking the same questions.

Who was the woman? And how did she end up here? She is described at an African American woman in her late 20's or early 30's, 5'6 and weighting about 130 pounds. Chester County detectives also released pictures of some distinctive jewelry she was wearing including gold bracelets and rings of an anchor and a horse. The woman also had a tattoo on her left shoulder with roman numerals.

"She was thrown away like she was a piece of trash. You cannot people treat like that," said Hogan.

If you know the identity of the woman or have any information in the case, please call Chester County detective Tom Goggin at 610-344-6866.