Delray Beach police release images after unidentified woman’s remains found in multiple suitcases
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on July 27, 2023
(NEW YORK) — Florida authorities have released images of luggage in which a woman’s body was found earlier this month as well as an artist’s rendering of the unknown victim.
“Please take a close look at the images because the victim has not been identified,” the Delray Beach Police Department said in a statement on Wednesday night.
Investigators believe the homicide occurred sometime between July 17 and July 20. On July 21, officers were deployed to the 1000 block of Palm Trail in Delray Beach after someone called 911 and “reported seeing something strange” in the Intracoastal Waterway, according to the Delray Beach Police Department.
Detectives discovered a suitcase in the water with human remains inside. Soon after, two other suitcases were found with remains at nearby locations along the waterway — one on Southeast 7th Avenue and the other on Casuarina Road, police said.
The remains were that of a white or Hispanic woman who was between the age of 35 and 55. The victim was approximately 5-foot-4-inches tall, had brown hair and may have had tattooed eyebrows. She was found wearing a floral tank top with a black undershirt and black mid-thigh shorts, according to police.
Detectives believe the luggage with the remains was placed into the Intracoastal Waterway sometime between July 17 and July 20. The area of interest is about a mile long and police have asked members of the public with personally-owned surveillance cameras along the waterway to review footage during the specified timeframe, looking for any unusual people or vehicles as well as anyone with luggage.
Detectives said they believe the homicide is an isolated incident.
The photographs released late Wednesday were of “two unique pieces of luggage that the victim’s body was found in” — the first being a “purple Palm Springs Ricardo Beverly Hills bag” and the second a “green and black polka dot Charlie Sport bag,” according to police.
Police also had the forensic imaging unit of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office produce a reconstructed image of what the victim may have looked like. The rendition also includes a full body sketch showing similar clothing to what the victim was found wearing.
“The brand for the floral top is ‘Betzabe’ which from what we can tell is a Brazilian company,” the Delray Beach Police Department said in the statement on Wednesday night. “It’s important for the public to know that these reconstructed images are not an exact likeness of the victim or her clothing and are simply the interpretation of the artist.”
“If you think you recognize the victim from the artist rendering, please give us a call,” police added. “If you saw something or have any information about this case, please contact us. No bit of information is too small.”
Anyone with information about the case is urged to call Delray Beach Police Detective Mike Liberta at 561-243-7874.
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