Woman found dead in a bin in Staten Island driveway
NEW YORK - A woman was found dead in a bin in a Staten Island driveway Friday, and now police are working to figure out the circumstances around her death.
Police made the gruesome discovery after responding to a 911 call around 5:45 a.m. at a home on Heberton Avenue in the Port Richmond section.
Officers say the body was found wrapped in a blanket inside a plastic storage bin.
Edwin Roman lives in the house, which is made up of eight apartments.
"That is incredibly shocking and so horrifying, right under our nose in our own backyard," he told CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis. "We seen her a couple of times coming in and out of the building."
We're told the 26-year-old woman did not live in the home but was a Staten Island resident.
A neighbor told CBS2 her husband walked past the house as the crime scene unit was investigating.
"He could see she wasn't really dressed fully. She had a sheet over her but not all the way," she said. "It's scary 'cause you don't know what it is. You don't know if it's somebody got murdered or it's an accident."
Police sources say a preliminary examination shows no sign of trauma and cops suspect an overdose, but the medical examiner will determine the cause of death.
The man who rents out rooms in the home described what was captured on its cameras.
"White gentleman and a Black gentleman were pulling out a tucker tote with a body wrapped in it. They pulled it out to the front of the building ... The Black gentleman went to the gate, and then he started dragging her down the street. There was a woman coming up, so he pulled her back and left her on the side of the truck," he said.
He says one of the men is a troublesome tenant.
"I've been chasing prostitutes out of here for months," he said.
It's not clear who the victim is, but the homeowner says the video was hard to watch.
"They were as calm as can be, like they were throwing out garbage. It's terrible. It's terrible. Nobody should be treated like that ever," he said.
So far, no arrests have been made. Police are examining video to identify who dumped the body. Criminal charges of improper disposal of human remains are a possibility when they do identify who is responsible.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.