Person of interest identified after woman's body found in shallow grave in Northeast Philadelphia, police say
A woman's body was found in a shallow grave in Northeast Philadelphia on Thursday, police said.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said detectives were in the area of the 900 block of East Tustin Avenue for a missing person investigation. According to Small, detectives got information a missing woman could be in the park off the 900 block of East Tustin Avenue.
The detectives, along with a cadaver dog, located a shallow grave inside the park. Small said the dog had a "positive hit" on the shallow grave, so detectives believed a body was buried in the area.
Due to the sun going down outside, Small said detectives were forced to set up lights while digging up the grave. The medical examiner's office and homicide detectives also responded to the scene, according to Small.
Small said after digging up the shallow grave, detectives found what appeared to be an adult female. She was pronounced dead at the scene after 8:30 p.m.
In an update Friday afternoon, police identified a person of interest in connection with the death investigation. Police identified the man as Geovanni Otero, 29, who has a warrant out for his arrest after violating his parole.
Small said the woman's body was partially decomposed. The woman's body will be taken to the examiner's office to determine the cause of death.
Small said they won't be commenting on who the missing person is until the woman's body is identified.
The area around the shallow grave will be processed overnight as a crime scene, Small said.
Anyone with information related to Otero's whereabouts or the investigation is asked to contact the Homicide Detectives at 215-686-3334.