Apr 29, 2008 11:19 pm US/Eastern
Philly Remains May Be Baby Killed In Baltimore
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
A toddler, dead for two years, was hidden in a bag, covered by a comforter and fabric softener.
Philadelphia police say the deadly discovery is linked to Baltimore. Dennis Edwards makes the connection.
A tip from an unidentified source in Baltimore helped solve the mystery and started a homicide investigation into what's believed to be the starvation death of an 18-month-old boy.
It appears Baltimore police found the missing boy they'd been looking for for almost two years inside a shed behind a Philadelphia rowhouse at 13th and Fitzwater.
"Going back to around February, the Baltimore Police Department contacted Philadelphia Homicide to assist them in an investigation that they had been working for some time. That investigation centered around looking for a missing child," said Lt. Frank Venore with Philadelphia Police.
Eyewitness News has learned investigators believe the child died somewhere in Baltimore and was taken to Philadelphia. The remains were left inside a suitcase by what may have been a visitor who allegedly used a blanket and fabric softener to block the odor.
"That case and its contents were taken to the Philadelphia medical examiner and they are telling us today that the contents of the case are consistent with human remains, possibly a child between one and two years of age," said Troy Harris with Baltimore City Police.
Eyewitness News learned Baltimore investigators were at the scene when the body was discovered, but a local spokesperson won't say much more about their investigation.
What they aren't saying is whether investigators have a suspect or a motive in mind. What they will say is the boy was reported missing in 2006 and that the house and shed belong to an elderly man, who is not considered a suspect.
There's no word on how long the suitcase had been in the shed. Neighbors say the owner entertained visitors from out of town on a regular basis.
Anyone in Maryland with information on this case is asked to call police.
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