Worcester Police asking for help after body was found near Salvation Army bin

Worcester Police are asking for the public's help in their investigation into an unattended death after a person was found dead on Cambridge Street.

Police responded to the Salvation Army on Cambridge Street on Jan. 7 around 9:48 a.m. for a report of a possible deceased person. When they arrived, officers found a woman near a Salvation Army bin, who was pronounced dead on scene.

News of the discovery shocked college students from Clark University, who often cut though this lot.

"It’s a little unsafe in a way, the fact that it can even happen out here," said Yasmeen Al-Adam. "They were a little nervous, they were saying we shouldn’t even walk through here. But it’s a short cut."

Preliminary autopsy reports into the cause of the woman's death were inconclusive, and the investigation is ongoing.

"For something that’s a potential homicide, it does take quite a while to process and we want to do a thorough job because we have one chance to do it and get all the evidence we can," said Worcester Police Lt. Sean Murtha.

Police are now asking any witnesses to come forward if you were in the area of the Salvation Army on Cambridge Street between 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 6 and 7 a.m. on Jan. 7.

"I’m flabbergasted by that. It’s unacceptable," said Jack, a former employee of the Salvation Army who declined to give his full name.

"Sometimes some homeless people would climb into the bins to get either shelter from the cold or high on drugs," he said.

Another employee who works at the Salvation Army furniture store said the lot is gated at night, but the gate is only designed to keep cars out.

"Whatever happens after we close the gates, I don't know," said Liz of the Salvation Army furniture store. "If they were walking through the parking lot, if you want to get through something, you will, so that's all I can say."

The building closest to the crime scene is a shopping plaza. One store clerk says detectives came in looking for security footage.

"They said, 'Somebody over there dumped a body?' Yeah, dumped a body," Bashir Rahmat said.

Aretha Baker owns a restaurant in the same plaza.

This is not the first time there has been trouble in the lot, but she says she's never seen anything like this.

"I think they need to put cameras back there because a lot of times, you see people driving at night in the back," Baker said.

The mystery has left so many in the area on edge.

"Hopefully, none of us are the next ones," said Al-Adam.

"I want to know who did it. I don’t want to know why. But I want to know who and how they could be brought to justice," Jack said.

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Police are trying to determine if the victim died from natural causes or foul play.

Police are now asking the public for help in their investigation, and said anyone can call the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at 508-799-8651, can send an anonymous text to 274637 with their your message, or they can send an anonymous web based message at worcesterma.gov/police.

Cox Media Group