Female found dead in trunk of vehicle in West Philadelphia, police say
WEST PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Police working tonight to identify the woman whose body was found in the trunk of a Silver Dodge Charger. The car was parked on Merion Street in West Philadelphia, on the back strip of several tow companies and auto body repair shops that face Lancaster Avenue.
"A lot of old cars around there that no one can drive," said Ricky Ricardo who works at Cheap-N-Good Mattress and Appliances nearby. He was shocked to hear a body was found here.
"That's the first time I ever heard of something like this happen around here. It's so sad you know?" he said.
Police say the body was found around 2:30, Tuesday afternoon.
The owner of Superior Automotive said one of his employees discovered the body after noticing a disturbing smell. The owner didn't want to talk on camera but said they towed the car from a bad accident scene around July 7th. The owner went on to say the car was so wrecked they would have noticed a body. He said the body couldn’t have been there because of the accident and believes someone must have recently dumped the body.
The car was parked on the street outside of the property along with several cars up and down the road.
"Camera and sanitation inspectors should patrol the street every other day," said Gacks Marin who works nearby. Marin and said the cars, dumpsters and overgrown brush along the road make it a magnet for crime.
"It's been like that for a long time. Sometimes the city does its best to clean it, but the next day people dump again," Marin added.
Police don't have the victim’s age and they say no weapon had been recovered.
"It's so sad because whoever it is male or female, somebody just lost someone. All the violence and crime needs to stop. It's so sad," said Ricardo.
The tow company where the car was parked does have surveillance cameras. The owner said police had not yet asked for video.
___
For the latest local news, sports and weather, download the FOX 29 News app.
DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP