Police find body in tarp in Fairmount Park
It is not known yet if the body found in a grassy stretch along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive was that of a man or a woman.
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A city Department of Parks and Recreation worker found a body wrapped in a tarp in Fairmount Park on Friday morning, police said.
Cleaning shortly after 8 a.m. in a grassy area off Martin Luther King Jr. Drive near Black Road, the worker opened the plastic tarp and found a skeleton "carefully wrapped" inside a blanket, said Lt. John Walker.
The worker called 911. Authorities do not yet know the deceased person's sex, age, or cause of death, Walker said.
Speaking at an afternoon news conference outside his West Philadelphia headquarters, Walker said the body was found in a spot that had been enclosed by a six-foot cyclone fence as the Philadelphia Water Department worked in the area.
The Water Department finished its project two weeks ago, and investigators believe someone dumped the wrapped body over the fence since then, Walker said.
With the weather being warmer Friday, the Parks and Recreation worker was there to remove the fencing and clean the area but instead found what the lieutenant called the "horrifying scene."
Authorities will likely use dental records and possibly DNA to identify the person, said Walker, who also pleaded with the public to call police with any information.
Tipsters or families with missing relatives should call the homicide unit at 215-686-3334 or Southwest Detectives at 215-686-3185.