Philadelphia

Missing Young Mother's Body Found in Trunk of Her Car Parked Along Mayfair Street

Tinika Ballard was missing for nine days and family found her car around the corner from their home

The body of young mother who went missing more than a week ago was discovered Friday afternoon inside the trunk of her car parked on a quiet street in Philadelphia's Mayfair section, the woman's family said.

Tinika Ballard, a 23-year-old mother of a toddler, was last seen nine days ago, her sister, Khiana Pittman, said.

Pittman tells NBC10 she was driving around looking for her sister's white Chevrolet Cruze when she spotted it just after 1 p.m. along the 7500 block of Leon Street.

She smelled a strong odor when walking up to the car and immediately called police. When officers arrived, they opened the trunk to find Ballard's body.

"I'm just at a loss for words," Pittman said. "She loved her daughter very much and she never would have just left her daughter and abandoned her daughter like that."

The car was parked around the corner from the family's home, another family member said.

Police have not positively identified the body or said if they believe foul play was involved.

Pittman said Ballard was dealing with slight depression, but doesn't believe she'd hurt herself.

"She didn't put herself in that trunk," she said.

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