A woman's body parts were found in suitcases and plastic bags strewn throughout a New York City neighborhood early Tuesday by a man and his 12-year-old son walking their dog, law enforcement officials said.
Police have identified the victim as Tania Byrd, a 45-year-old woman who has been missing since the weekend. They think Byrd was dismembered at her apartment in the Bronx, and they have a suspect in custody who has made statements implicating himself, NBC 4 New York has learned.
Sources have said Byrd's son, who called police to report her missing Tuesday morning, was being questioned Tuesday.
Law enforcement officials tell NBC 4 New York that the man walking his dog along 158th Street came upon a plastic bag of what he thought were books. As he moved to open the bag, he noticed a gray Dodge Charger circling the block, so he took the bag around the corner and looked inside, finding two hands and a shoulder.
He sent his son to call police and continued walking the dog. About two blocks away on Eagle Avenue he and the dog came upon a suitcase, and the dog sat down next to it. The man opened the suitcase and found a woman's torso, wearing a bra, according to law enforcement officials.
Responding police found a plastic bag further down Eagle Avenue that contained a leg and a foot, and then nearby on Cauldwell Avenue, they found a black suitcase with a leg and the woman's head.
Law enforcement officials tell NBC 4 New York they found an empty box in her apartment that they believe contained a power saw. The apartment also smelled of bleach and was littered with latex gloves.
Photo Credit: NBCNewYork