Tragic footage shows the final moments of a legal recruiter who was found dead inside a garbage chute in the basement of a luxury apartment building in Manhattan.

Missing woman Jaclyn Elmquist, originally Minnesota, is seen stumbling along a Chelsea street hours before her body was discovered at the apartment complex on at 540 West 28th Street. 

The 24-year-old legal recruiter disappeared following a work party, sparking a frenzied search by her loved ones who plastered the area with missing persons photos.

But on Saturday afternoon their worst fears were realized when cops confirmed Elmquist’s identity.

Police currently do not suspect any foul play in the death and said ‘no criminality is suspected’.

A woman’s body was discovered in a trash compactor in the basement of a luxury Manhattan apartment block

The 24-year-old was found ‘unconscious and unresponsive’ in the basement of the complex at around 2.40pm on Friday

Police have yet to release the identity of the deceased and a medical examiner is working to determine cause of death

The grim discovery has rocked residents of the luxury development, where they average home sells for $1.5 million

Missing posters indicated that Elmquist was last seen getting into a yellow cab outside Catch Steakhouse in Manhattan.

Alarm bells began to sound after she never returned to her Brooklyn home or showed up for work. 

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Elmquist’s cousin Katlyn Kampmeier said her coworkers put her into a taxi the night she disappeared.

Family tracked her phone to 184 11th Street before they lost the signal. Elmquist’s body was discovered at the apartment building just a few blocks away. 

Cops were called to the complex at around 2.40pm following a report of someone hurt in the area.

A spokesman for NYPD said on Saturday morning: ‘A  24-year-old woman was found unconscious and unresponsive in the basement of 540 West 28th Street.

‘EMS responded and pronounced her dead at the scene. The medical examiner will confirm a cause of death. At this time the investigation remains ongoing.’ 

Police were seen swarming the scene for hours following the grisly discovery. 

Sources told the New York Post the body was discovered with evidence of trauma to the body and head. 

The outlet reported that a resident had been told a maintenance man had discovered the body whilst taking out the trash.

‘It’s terrible. Man, I feel awful for that person,’ he said. 

It is not yet known exactly how long she had been in the basement before being discovered. 

The 13 story building sits just one block away from the High Line Park. The complex has 90 units, with the average price of property almost $1.5 million, according to StreetEasy.