Over the past week, disturbing finds of human remains stuffed inside luggage were reported in separate incidents in Florida and Texas.
The Delray Beach Police Department was alerted at 4:03 p.m. to a suspicious object floating in the Intracoastal waterway near the 1000-block of Palm Trail in Delray Beach.
Upon arriving at the scene, the officers made a grim discovery: a suitcase holding human remains. Shortly after, two additional suitcases were discovered at nearby locations along the Intracoastal, specifically at SE 7th Avenue and Casuarina Road. These, too, contained human remains. The remains are believed to belong to an unidentified woman and have been transferred to the medical examiner’s office for further analysis.
In a separate incident in Texas, a 911 call was received at the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office reporting a suspicious package the previous Thursday. During a press briefing, Sheriff Javier Salazar said residents found a duffel bag containing human remains while feeding animals outdoors.
Salazar indicated that the immediate presumption was to treat the site as a potential crime scene, given the gruesome discovery of partial human remains. There were indications of attempted burning on the property, although, according to Salazar, this could also be related to the local habit of incinerating trash.
Despite the remains in the bag, Salazar reported no notable efforts to hide the body. The out-of-town property owners have been cooperative with the ongoing investigation.
The identity and gender of the victim remain unknown, as does the body’s duration at the location. Salazar stated that a search warrant is being obtained for a more comprehensive investigation of the scene. At this stage, whether the person was killed at the location or transported their post-mortem remains uncertain.
The statement issued by the police identified the remains as belonging to a woman, likely white or Hispanic, in her middle years, with brown hair, and roughly 5’4″ in height. The police have confirmed that the remains found in all three suitcases are of this same woman. According to the Delray Beach Police, the victim wore a floral tank top, a black undershirt, and shorts that reached her mid-thigh.
On Monday afternoon, Delray police issued a brief update requesting public assistance examining any surveillance footage between July 17 and July 20.
