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Authorities in Florida have opened up a homicide investigation after making a gruesome discovery along the Intracoastal Waterway in Delray Beach.
The Delray Police Department received a 911 call about a suspicious item in the water. Delray Beach Police Chief Russ Mager said that when the officers arrived, they found a suitcase "with what was believed to be the human remains hanging outside."
A few hours later, officers received reports that two other suitcases were floating in the water south of where the first one was discovered. Those suitcases also contained human remains.
Sgt. Casey Kelly said the remains all belong to one woman who is believed to be Hispanic or white. She is between 35 and 55 years old and about 5'4" tall. She may have had tattooed eyebrows and was wearing a floral tank top with a black undershirt and shorts.
Investigators believe her remains may have been dumped as early as July 17.
Kelly asked the public for help identifying the woman or a suspect in the case.
"We're asking for the public's help with reviewing video surveillance cameras during that timeframe," Kelly said. "We ask that you specifically look for unusual vehicles or people and certainly anyone carrying or moving luggage."
"The stretch of waterway is very large, and that's part of why we're meeting today and asking for the public's help," he added. "It's a very daunting task. So we're asking for the public to do some of that, that legwork for us."