Lower half of body discovered by bin collection workers in Lisbon
The search is on today for the ‘missing’ top half of a body, discovered dumped in a rubbish bin in Lisbon’s ‘upmarket’ Lapa district.
The body was discovered in a plastic bag, concealed under a blanket.
One of the reasons it was detected is that bin collectors were curious as to why the plastic bag was so heavy. They reportedly wondered whether it was filled with stones.
The body, of a man, from the belly button downwards, showed an “almost total absence of blood”, explain reports – suggesting the victim had been dismembered post-mortem.
The first task today is identification.
According to Correio da Manhã, the body was heavily tattooed. PJ police forensics are working on compiling a DNA profile which should be able to help investigations.
For the time being, “there do not appear to be any missing persons reports that would fit with the description of the mortal remains”, says the paper.
One line of investigation will centre on the hostel in Rua Maestro António Taborda, next to where the bin stood.
The body was discovered at 2am yesterday (Monday March 12), thus CCTV images of comings and goings prior to that moment are being studied.
According to CM, the CCTV camera is operated by the hostel, and only records when the street-side doorbell is rung.
Authorities suspect the body will have been dismembered ‘elsewhere’, with the remains cleaned before they were left in the bin (in other words, the link to the hostel could be merely coincidental).
CM adds that the victim’s death appears to have been “recent”.
