Philadelphia police have found the body of a woman buried in a shallow grave in the Fox Chase neighborhood. The deceased was discovered on Thursday night near Veree Road along Tustin Avenue. The woman had been reported missing since Halloween, when she was last sighted at 7 p.m. on the 900 block of Sanger Street, as per information provided by police sources to FOX 29.
Investigative efforts by the police drew attention to Geovanni Otero, 29, the alleged boyfriend of the victim. Otero, who has been previously entangled in criminal proceedings involving a gun case, and was on parole with a GPS-tracking ankle monitor at the time. This GPS data, according to sources, assisted detectives in identifying Otero as a suspect, a detail which was subsequently reported by FOX 29.
The investigation widened as detectives followed a lead to a park on the 900 block of Tustin Avenue, which was detailed by 6abc. There, in a shallow grave close to Champion Park Playground, they located the body, with the discovery happening Thursday afternoon. While the identity of the woman was not immediately confirmed, it was believed that the body could be linked to the previously reported missing person case.
Further unnerving details surround this event, where a family desperate for answers was reported to have been present at the park as police conducted their investigation. "We are not even certain right now that whether the missing person case and this particular body…we can’t link them 100% until we identify this female who is a Jane Doe," Philadelphia's Chief Inspector Scott Small conveyed to the press, and was quoted by NBC10. The Philadelphia Police Department encourages anyone with information to come forward and contact them at 215-686-TIPS.
As it stands, the investigation remains active with authorities working to resolve this haunting discovery. Information is still developing, and the exact circumstances that led to the tragic outcome are yet to be thoroughly understood.
