Sanitation Workers Find Dismembered Body Along Pick-Up Route
Sanitation workers in Philadelphia discovered a dismembered body as they did their rounds picking up trash on Thursday morning.
Although the remains were not immediately identifiable to officers from the Philadelphia Police Department, the medical examiner at the scene determined that the body was that of a dog, local NBC News affiliate 10 Philadelphia reported. The discovery occurred just after 8 a.m. as the truck stopped along Harbison Avenue in the city's Wissinoming neighborhood.
Reporter Jasmine Payoute from CBS3 Philly said that the dog's body was found in a pink bag. The incident reportedly remains under investigation by the police. Law enforcement initially believed the remains could have possibly been human.
The Philadelphia Police Department told Newsweek that it did not have any further information at this time, but would update the media once more details were known.
Pennsylvania amended its animal cruelty laws in 2017 and in 2018. Under the law, a person convicted of animal cruelty could be fined from $50 to $750 and jailed for up to 90 days. It's currently unclear whether a crime was committed in this situation or how the dog died.
The incident is reminiscent of a recent discovery in Texas. Locals were baffled after the heads of several different animals were discovered by a passerby in the Briarbend Park, a community park located 10 miles west of Houston, in May.
"Right below the surface was a severed baby young goat's head, a package with three rooster heads and an egg, and a long white woman's cotton sundress that was burned," a woman, who asked not to be identified, told local channel KHOU11.
Other community members later reported finding animal remains. One resident said they found the body of a goat in a black trash bag, according to KHOU 11. Another woman reported seeing "a decapitated goat and two chickens laid with a bowl of fruit" in a nearby area.
In Florida, a couple spotted a decapitated 10-foot alligator along State Road 62 in Parrish, Manatee County in late May as well. "We thought the worst. We thought that someone had chopped off its head. We were trying to figure out if someone would do that," Heather Morneau, who alerted the authorities to the incident, told local channel Fox 13 at the time.
Monreau explained to the news channel that there appeared to be "bullet holes" in the dead animal's body. She described the situation as "horrible" and said it was something she thought the local authorities should be aware of.
