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The NYPD is relying on a series of distinctive tattoos, including one with three names, found on a mutilated body left in Queens as a means to identify the deceased individual.
The remains were found by sanitation workers as they conducted their usual duties at around 8 a.m. on Tuesday. The workers contacted the authorities when they detected an especially offensive smell coming from a trash bag that was secured with tape and rope, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny stated in a press conference on Thursday.
The incomplete corpse was found along a route in Idlewild Park, a preserve north of JFK Airport.
Police officials affirmed on Thursday that the body lacked a head, arms, and legs, and indicated that the victim seems to be a woman of Guyanese origin.
Officials are hopeful the victim’s “several unique and identifiable tattoos” can be used to identify her through open missing persons cases.
“It wasn’t decomposed to the point where we could still see and make out very clearly the tattoos that were on the body, which were three names and a flower. So we’re working through the missing persons reports to match up those names and those tattoos,” Kenny said.
Kenny explained that the torso was relatively untouched, save for a broken rib from when she was dropped and the apparent dismemberment that a forensic anthropologist surmised was done with “straight edge instruments” like a knife or saw.
Cops have a possible lead, but didn’t reveal more details Thursday.
“We do have a case that we’re very interested in, but we’re not going to make any notification to the family until we can determine what more is going on. So this is going to be handled as circumstances undetermined pending police investigation for now,” Kenny said.