Police: Human Remains Discovered In Kensington
By Dan Wing and Elizabeth Hur
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A routine maintenance call led to a horrific discovery in a Kensington home.
A plumber stumbled onto what he believed to be the remains of a fetus.
Police say just after 4pm Monday, private contractors were called to a home on the 800 block of East Russell Street. The work involved unclogging a toilet.
Chief Inspector Scott Small explained, "The stack pipe which is attached to the toilet in the basement was clogged. When they opened the pipe up to clear it, the workers pulled out what appeared to be a human fetus."
So who would do this and why? Those are among the many question police say they are still trying to answer but police note it is possible no crime was committed.
"It may not be a crime scene. We're still going to look into how developed the child was but it appears at this point someone may have had a miscarriage," Chief Small said.
According to police, a couple in their 60s recently moved into the home. Investigators don't believe the woman in her 60s was pregnant.
"Our Special Victims Unit investigators are knocking on doors and talking to some neighbors, talking to family to see if there was a woman actually pregnant inside that house," Chief Small added.
Police say the fetus showed no sign of any decomposition leading investigators to believe this happened recently.
"The medical examiner is going to determine the age of the fetus and if in fact it was a viable fetus. What we're concerned with is the female may need some type of medical attention if she recently had a miscarriage," Chief Small said.
The autopsy is scheduled to be performed on Tuesday and at this time, police say the fetus looked to be in its early developmental stages, possibly 3 or 4 months.
