Authorities investigating the grisly discovery of a handless, toothless burning body in a shopping cart under a Yonkers bridge say the victim apparently was killed at a home in the Bronx, and more body parts were found at a location in the borough linked to the case, officials said Tuesday.
The medical examiner's office will determine the identity of the person found around 2 a.m. Monday near the Oak Street Bridge, near the border of Mount Vernon. Firefighters were called about a fire under the bridge, but as soon as they extinguished the flames, they saw the body.
Yonkers police say their investigation found the body was set on fire within their jurisdiction, but the killing happened elsewhere. They transferred the case to the NYPD.
Cops executing a search warrant at a home on Rogers Place in the Bronx in connection with the case recovered human remains in the kitchen, finding human hands in a pot and feet in the freezer, law enforcement sources said. A firearm and drug paraphernalia were recovered inside a bedroom.
"Whoever did this wanted to try their best to make sure the victim was never identified," said retired NYPD Chief Terry Monahan. "The reason anyone would take out teeth, hands feet from an individual is to prevent identification. Once you remove the hands, you no longer can check fingerprints. You take off the teeth you can’t check dental records to see who the individual is."
It's not clear exactly what led investigators to that specific location.
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A high-ranking NYPD official told NBC New York that police have video of a man rolling a shopping cart onto a Metro-North train in the Bronx's 44th precinct, which appeared to be the same shopping cart later found on fire.
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The investigation is ongoing. The medical examiner is set to run forensic tests on the remains and body parts to identify the victim and determine how the victim died.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
