DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA: Investigators have reportedly put a face to the woman whose body was found in three separate suitcases floating along the Florida coastline. The grim discovery was made after cops received a 911 call about an individual spotting a "suspicious-looking item" inside the water at the Intracoastal Waterway near Delray Public Beach on Friday, July 28.
Officials later confirmed that they found human remains inside the suitcase found in the water. Two other suitcases discovered elsewhere along the waterway also contained human remains. While the victim remained unidentified, cops believed that the remains belonged to the same person. Amid the ongoing investigation, officials released a reconstructed image of the victim's face and clothes based on the discovery with the hope to find a lead from the public, Law & Crime Network reported.
What is known about the Delray Beach suitcase victim?
The name of the Delray Beach suitcase victim is yet to be identified, at the time of writing. However, investigators have attempted to provide her with a face using a reconstructed image. The picture was reportedly released by The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office’s Forensic Imaging Unit and shows a possible image of what the unnamed victim looked like in real life.
However, authorities also said that "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." Prior to releasing the possible image of her face, officers released a photo of the floral print top the victim wore as well as the images of two of the three suitcases where her remains were found.
Cops suggested that the victim was an adult female, either white or Hispanic, middle-aged with brown hair, and stood approximately 5 feet, 4 inches tall, the Law & Crime Network mentioned. They also alleged that the woman may have sported tattooed eyebrows and confirmed that she wore a floral tank top and a black undershirt with black mid-thigh shorts.
'I was in shock really for all this to happen'
Officers have continued to share the available details related to the Delray Beach suitcase victim. Speaking about her floral top, cops said, "The brand for the floral top is ‘Betzabe’ which from what we can tell is a Brazilian company." They also provided some details about the suitcases where the victim's slain remains were discovered, dubbing them as "unique pieces of luggage."
"The first is a purple Palm Springs Ricardo Beverly Hills bag. The second is a green and black polka dot Charlie Sport bag," officers wrote, as per Law & Crime Network. In the wake of the gruesome find, marine dockhand Keenan Johnson told WPTV, "My first instinct was it’s an endangered sea turtle or something like that was floating by. I was in shock really for all this to happen. I’ve been working here for quite a while and nothing like this has ever happened around here."
Delray Beach police Sgt Casey Kelly also released a video statement and asked the public to review their surveillance footage along the Intracoastal Waterway from the estimated time of the homicide between July 17 to 20 to look for any clues. Anyone with any information regarding the case or the possible victim has been asked to call Detective Mike Liberta at (561) 243-7874.
