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Dismembered Body Found in Trash Bags Outside Bronx Park

NEW YORK — Based on the weight and feel of the garbage bag she found Friday afternoon outside Crotona Park in the Bronx, the seasonal worker for the Parks Department thought there might be an animal carcass inside.

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By
Jeffery C. Mays
, New York Times

NEW YORK — Based on the weight and feel of the garbage bag she found Friday afternoon outside Crotona Park in the Bronx, the seasonal worker for the Parks Department thought there might be an animal carcass inside.

The worker called a Parks Enforcement Patrol officer, who opened the bag, saw what he believed to be human hair and contacted the Police Department.

Confirming the discovery, police said two black trash bags near the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Crotona Park South contained the dismembered remains of an unidentified woman.

On Saturday, the police combed the park and examined video footage looking for clues about who might have deposited the remains.

“This is not something that happens often,” Detective Sophia Mason said.

A knife was recovered in the park Saturday, but police said it was unclear if it was related to the dismembered body parts.

According to the office of the city medical examiner, the bags seem to contain the remains of at least one woman, but details such as the individual’s age or race have yet to be determined.

Vanessa L. Gibson, whose City Council district includes the sidewalk where the remains were found, said area residents were shocked by the news.

Just across from where the body was found are homes, a church and a school.

“We normally don’t have these types of issues,” Gibson said.

She said improvements have been coming to the northern section of Crotona Park, a 127.5-acre expanse the city bought in 1888 and that now has the largest public pool in the Bronx.

Gibson said she was working to get more money to improve the southern section of the park, near where the body parts were found, by repairing courts in the area and adding more cameras.

“We need to determine how this woman died,” she said. “Someone has no regard for life, and it’s disturbing. I’m sorry this happened to that young lady.”

The discovery of a dismembered body may not happen often in New York, but it is not unheard-of.

In April, the dismembered remains of Brandy Odom, 26, were discovered in Canarsie Park. Police said Saturday there were no updates in Odom’s case and the investigation — like the one in Crotona Park — was continuing.

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