Philadelphia

Police ID Body Found Wrapped in Tarp in Fairmount Park as 51-Year-Old Woman

Lea Morgan's decomposing body was found wrapped in a plastic tarp near MLK Drive

A 51-year-old woman was shot and her body was wrapped in a green tarp then dumped in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia police said.

The victim was identified over the weekend as Lea Morgan of the 6200 block of Bouvier Street in the city's Ogontz section, police said Monday.

A Parks and Recreation worker picking up litter and emptying trash cans found her decomposing body around 8:20 a.m. Friday in a fenced in area near a parking lot off Martin Luther King Drive near Black Road, police said.

The worker told NBC10 that he called police after smelling something foul coming from the large plastic tarp. The body was wrapped in a blanket and plastic then dumped in the area, investigators said.

"The body was definitely carefully wrapped," Southwest Detectives Lt. John Walker said. "It's a horrifying scene."

Police didn't reveal when they believe Morgan was killed. The area where the body was found is being cleaned up for the spring season so it's unclear exactly how long the body may have been there. The water department was doing work in the area until about two weeks ago so it's likely the body was dumped since then, Walker said.

Homicide detectives are investigating.

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