Body of Unclothed Woman Found Stuffed in Duffel Bag and Dumped on NYC Sidewalk as Cops Scramble to Track Killer

The body of a young woman, found naked and stuffed inside a duffel bag, was found in a decaying section of East Harlem, according to police and sources. Locals say the disturbing find highlights their urgent need for a stronger police presence in the neighborhood, as cops scramble to piece together details behind the horrific murder.

A neighborhood worker clearing debris beneath the Metro-North railroad tracks at 125th Street and Park Avenue around 7 p.m. on Monday made the shocking discovery and immediately alerted MTA police, residents told The New York Post. The sanitation worker was left shocked after making the grim discovery and has since been in extreme trauma.

Grim Discovery

“This is the second time I know of them finding a dead body over there,” Smokey Rodriguez, who does sanitation work in the area, said Tuesday. “Me, personally, I work here since 2018 and I’ve seen people on drugs, falling over, hitting their heads, going into seizures, and dying.”

Rodriguez, 25, said the area is usually crowded with homeless people and often used as a dumping site for garbage.

“They need to have more cops patrolling the area. Even with MTA police, they need more. They need more NYPD, especially in blind spots where people can’t really see when it’s dark,” he said, adding that it was a co-worker who found the body.

“This concerns me. There are kids around here. They have to live in this area knowing there is so much dangerous stuff going on.”

The victim was a white woman in her 20s, according to sources who spoke to The New York Post. Her body had been placed inside a black garbage bag, then stuffed into a green duffel bag tied with a drawstring and left on the sidewalk.

Murder Remains a Mystery

There were no visible signs of trauma, and the cause of death has not yet been confirmed. The NYPD has launched an investigation, but the woman remains unidentified as authorities await the medical examiner’s full report.

A woman who works nearby said police quickly swarmed the area with K-9 units after receiving a tip about the discovery. “Of course, we are shocked,” she said. “We are right here.

“There are a lot of crazy people hanging out there,” she added. “They sleep there. They come in here asking the customers for money. They should clean up the area.”

Other witnesses also agreed. “The reality is [there are] homeless people in that area 24/7,” a longtime neighborhood resident said. “They sleep there. Some are mental.

“I believe somebody knows,” he said. “It really is sad, you know, finding someone dead like that.”