Man Finds Woman’s Dismembered Torso in NYC Shopping Cart, Police Say

A woman’s torso was discovered in a bag inside of a New York City shopping cart early Thursday morning, police say.

A man came across the shopping cart near the intersection of Pennsylvania Ave. and Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn at about 1:45 a.m., the New York Daily News reports. He pushed the carriage before he peered inside of the bag and found the torso, but the victim’s extremities and head were missing, WNBC notes. He then called 911.

Authorities stated the body did not have stab or gunshot wounds and did not have any tattoos or marks that could help investigators identify the victim, WABC reports. She is believed to be either white or Hispanic and the body did not look to be decomposed. Authorities have been looking at surveillance videos in hopes of seeing who left the carriage at the intersection, WNBC reports.

A police source told the Daily News that officers on scene canvassed the area in a search of additional body parts, but none were found. New York City’s Medical Examiner’s Office will attempt to identify the victim, presumed to be an adult, through DNA testing, as identification through dental records and fingerprints is not currently possible, the source added. Additionally, the office will work to determine her cause of death.

The case has left New Yorkers on edge.

“Oh my God, Jesus Christ, ’cause nowadays anyone is not safe here anymore. I don’t know what to do because I work around the corner,” Violet Rodriguez told WABC.

Another resident, Cynthia Jimenez, told the outlet she feels the city is unsafe.

“They say New York is a dream, an American dream, but I don’t feel safe,” she explained. “I just wanna like, make this place safer.”