Report: Tattoo helps police ID headless, dismembered body pulled from NYC water

NEW YORK -- Police have identified a woman whose headless and dismembered remains were discovered floating in waters near the New York City borough of Brooklyn, reports local news website DNA info.

The NYPD last week released an image of a Sanskrit tattoo on the woman's right hip in the hopes of identifying the body, which was found Tuesday near Red Hook by a couple walking their dog.

The woman's mother walked into a police precinct after recognizing her daughter's tattoo from the images released to the media, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said at an unrelated press conference Friday, DNA info reports. The mother reportedly said the tattoo was a tribute to an aunt.

"That young lady is from New Jersey," Boyce said. "We have an active homicide case and we're on that right now."

Police did not release the victim's name or age and the medical examiner is still determining a cause of death. The woman's head, arms, and legs below the knees had all been removed, reported CBS New York.

Dive teams were scouring the area in search of more remains, the station reported.

DNA info reports a leg found washed up near the 79th Street boat basin on Manhattan's upper west side Saturday could belong to the torso found in Brooklyn.  Police said the leg — which had pink painted toenails -- was spotted by a jogger near the Hudson River, DNA info reports.