Dismembered Woman's Head, Body Parts Found in Bags Dumped Near NYC Elementary School

A horrific scene unfolded on a Bronx, N.Y., street this morning. Four bags containing human body parts were dumped and subsequently discovered near an elementary school. The grisly find has led to a bustling crime scene and an ongoing search for answers.

The bags -- described as one suitcase and three garbage bags -- were purportedly dropped by an individual who was traveling in a vehicle; they were placed on top of a pile of trash around 5 a.m. Some media outlets are reporting that the bags were placed at different, but nearby, locations, creating four related crime scenes.

The New York Post describes just how scattered the remains were: "A right leg was found on Eagle Avenue near 156th Street, while a torso was discovered on Eagle near 158th Street, witnesses said. A head found at Cauldwell and 158th, according to witnesses."

A "passerby" who was walking his dog with his 12-year-old son found the bag and alerted authorities, who are currently analyzing its contents. WNBC-TV has more about the shocking discovery: 

Police believe the victim is a 45-year-old woman who has been missing since the weekend. They think she was dismembered at her Westchester Avenue apartment.

Law enforcement officials tell NBC 4 New York that the man walking his dog along 158th Street in Morrisania 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.

According to a witness, after dumping the bags, the person fled the scene in a silver SUV.

The Daily Mail is reporting that one of the woman's sons reported her missing this morning. The picture he showed police was apparently matched to the decapitated head found in one of the bags.