Skeletal remains found bundled in rolled-up carpet in Yonkers

YONKERS, New York (WABC) -- Police are investigating after a gruesome discovery outside an apartment building in Yonkers.

Skeletal remains were found wrapped in a carpet, and investigators are now trying to figure out the identity and cause of death.

Neighbors said they noticed the carpet a week ago, and authorities believe the body may have been there for some time.

"It's just pretty crazy that that was there the entire time," resident David Echevarria said. "We passed it a whole bunch of times. We even talked about picking it up for ourselves because it looked like a good rug."

The landlord of 165 Bruce Avenue made the grisly find while clearing garbage that had piled up, and there was an instant commotion when he lowered the carpet that had been standing on end.

"I went outside, and you could see it, a rolled up rug," Echevarria said. "And right out of it, you see a small skull with teeth still intact."

One woman who didn't want to be identified said she couldn't quite understand her dog's strange behavior of late during walks.

"She always tried to go to the rug," she said. "I was fearful of bedbugs, so I would yell at her not to go near it, not knowing there was a dead body in there."

The remains were mostly skeletal, and residents say there was no foul odor that might have otherwise tipped them off. The medical examiner will now try to identify the victim, determine the cause of death, as well as when the person died.

Police say the incident likely had nothing to do with the building.

Anyone with information is urged to contact authorities.