A person of interest is now in custody after a man's body with a bag over the head was found in a freezer with a bloody knife nearby in a South Philadelphia home Friday.
Police made the "gruesome, tragic discovery of a dead body in a freezer box in the basement," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
Police taped off the sidewalk in front of a home along the 1200 block of Snyder Avenue after a person was found dead face down in the icebox.
Family members of two men had gone to the home to check on the men, Small said. They found a large amount of blood in the home and then called police.
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Police officers arrived around 6:30 a.m. and saw blood leading down the basement stairs, Small said. They went into the basement where they found more blood around an icebox and a bloody knife.
"Officers opened the freezer box and that's when they discovered a body face down," Small said.
A bag was over the person's head. Medics pronounced the person dead at the scene.
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It's possible the person was stabbed to death, Small said.
Investigators weren't sure exactly who the person in the freezer was, but a father and son -- who haven't been heard from recently -- are known the frequent the home, Small said.
Police investigated a white SUV parked outside the home that is believed to belong to the one of the men.
There were no signs of forced entry and it wasn't clear how long the body was in the home, Small said.
Friday afternoon, police announced there was a "person of interest" in custody in connection to the incident which they referred to as a "homicide by stabbing." No one has been charged however. Police continue to speak with the victim's family members.
Neighbors told NBC10 that a man wielding a knife has recently been spotted in the neighborhood. Small said police were aware of those reports and were working to see if they are at all related.
Entering Friday, at least 503 homicides have been reported in Philadelphia this year, according to Philadelphia police data. It's the second-straight year that the homicide count exceeded 500 in the city, but is down about 8% from this same time last year, which wound up the deadliest on record in the city.
