Dead body found in garbage bag in the Bronx; police investigation underway

ByAnthony Carlo WABC logo
Sunday, August 20, 2023
Dead body found in garbage bag in the Bronx
The unidentified person was discovered in a garbage bag inside a shopping cart. Anthony Carlo has the details.

LONGWOOD, The Bronx (WABC) -- An investigation is underway after a body was found inside a black garbage bag in the Bronx.

The discovery was made around 11 a.m. on Saturday alongside Whitlock Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard in Longwood. Police say the unidentified person was found in a black garbage bag inside a shopping cart.

The stretch of Whitlock Avenue where the body found is quite desolate - the sidewalk is closed because of construction. The body was found next to a massive construction site - it is unclear who discovered the body.

Police eventually moved the entire body and the cart into what appeared to be a body bag before it was taken from the scene around 3:30 p.m.

The person was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS.

There is a playground about a half block away, and families were outside with children on Saturday.

One woman believes the body had been there since at least Friday.

"I found a man on the corner with a bicycle and he told me he saw yesterday somebody there. He look and say they think somebody died," she said.

Janise, a neighborhood resident said it's 'always really scary down there.'

"It's not a good space to walk at night because it's really dark, so anything is possible," she added.

It is a neighborhood that was overcome by tragedy before. In 2018, Lisa Marie Velasquez was killed in an apartment on Longfellow Avenue - just a five minute walk away. Her body parts were scattered in bags at two Bronx parks.

The investigation is in its early stages, and it is ongoing.

The body has not yet been identified, and police do not have any information on how decomposed the body was, or who dumped it there.

The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

RELATED: Eyewitness News is tracking crime and safety across New York City and in your neighborhood

----------

* More Bronx news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

* Follow us on YouTube

Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.