HO CHI MINH CITY – A community in Ho Chi Minh City has been left in shock after the decomposing body of a young woman was discovered inside the trunk of a car parked on a residential street.
The grim discovery was made around 8:00 AM on Saturday, November 1, in the Dong Thanh commune of the former Hoc Mon district.
The owner of the sedan, a local resident, reportedly went to retrieve his vehicle, which had been parked on Nguyen Thi Det Street for several days. As he approached, he noticed a foul, "horrific odor" emanating from the car. Upon closer inspection, he also found that the right passenger window had been broken.
Fearing the worst, he opened the trunk and made the horrifying discovery of a body in an advanced state of decomposition. He immediately alerted local authorities.
The Investigation
Police quickly arrived and sealed off the area to conduct a forensic examination. The car was found parked on the roadside next to a local workshop.
A witness, Mr. Thuong, who lives nearby, told police the car had been parked in that exact spot for many days. "I didn't see anyone enter or exit the car during that time," he said. "It's possible this happened at night."
An official from the Dong Thanh commune's People's Committee stated that the body was so decomposed that facial recognition was impossible. Forensic teams had to use fingerprint analysis to identify the victim.
Victim Identified
The car owner, who was questioned by police, stated that he had parked his vehicle at that location on the morning of October 27 and had not returned to it until today.
Through the fingerprint identification and other evidence, authorities have confirmed the victim is a 27-year-old woman who lived locally in the area.
Following the identification, the victim's family was notified and came to the scene. In a tragic development, the family informed investigators that the young woman had been out of contact for several days. They also stated that she had been suffering from depression.
Police are continuing to investigate the case to determine the exact cause of death and to understand the circumstances that led to the woman being in the trunk of the vehicle.