Naked woman’s decomposing body found inside barrel in Arkansas

ST. FRANCIS COUNTY, Ark. (TCD) -- Officials are trying to identify a woman whose naked body was discovered inside a large plastic storage container left on the side of a road.

In the late afternoon of Feb. 20, St. Francis County Sheriff’s Office investigators responded to County Road 731 after someone called to report finding the victim’s body. Her remains were transported to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory for positive identification as well as an autopsy to determine cause and manner of death.

St. Francis County Sheriff Bobby Mays told WREG-TV the woman’s body was "partially decomposed" and that she had "been out there maybe a couple of weeks."

Two teens on four-wheelers reportedly came across the container, which can hold up to 50 pounds, and shared the news on social media. WREG reports someone contacted the sheriff’s office and said the victim could be his mother, who had not been seen for several weeks, but that person never actually reported her missing.

A man who lives in the area reportedly saw the container, but he did not inspect it or find it unusual because people "always dump garbage there, down that road."

Mays said, "Whoever did this had no feeling at all whatsoever for what they had done, no conscience."

MORE:

• Police working to identify body found on the side of the road - St. Francis County Sheriff's Office
• Teens find woman’s body in plastic container in Arkansas - WREG