Florida authorities have released images of luggage in which the body of an unidentified woman was discovered earlier this month, along with an artist’s rendering of the victim.
“Please take a close look at the images because the victim has not been identified,” stated the Delray Beach Police Department on Wednesday night.
Investigators believe that the homicide occurred between July 17 and July 20. On July 21, officers responded to a call at the 1000 block of Palm Trail in Delray Beach, reporting a suspicious item in the Intracoastal Waterway. Upon investigation, detectives found a suitcase containing human remains in the water. Subsequently, two other suitcases were located at nearby spots along the waterway — one on Southeast 7th Avenue and the other on Casuarina Road, both containing remains, according to police.
The victim’s remains belong to a white or Hispanic woman aged between 35 and 55, approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall, with brown hair and potentially having tattooed eyebrows. She was found wearing a floral tank top with a black undershirt and black mid-thigh shorts. Police suspect that the luggage containing the remains were placed in the Intracoastal Waterway sometime between July 17 and July 20. The specific area of interest spans about a mile, and the police have urged the public, especially those with personally-owned surveillance cameras along the waterway, to review footage from the specified timeframe, looking for any unusual individuals or vehicles, as well as anyone carrying luggage.
According to the Delray Beach Police Department’s statement on Wednesday night, “The brand for the floral top is ‘Betzabe,’ which from what we can tell is a Brazilian company. 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.”
“If you think you recognize the victim from the artist rendering, please give us a call,” the police added. “If you saw something or have any information about this case, please contact us. No bit of information is too small.”
Authorities are urging anyone with information about the case to call Delray Beach Police Detective Mike Liberta at 561-243-7874.
