Police ID Body Found in Suitcase, Reveal Cause of Death

Police have identified a woman whose body was found stuffed inside a suitcase Sunday afternoon.

The body was discovered by Margate Sgt. Mark Ciambrone who was off-duty at the time.

Ciambrone found the body in a wooded area near 9th and Broadway Avenue behind the Shore Mall along Black Horse Pike in Egg Harbor Township, N.J.

Police found tattoos on the woman's right wrist and right foot and later released photos of the tattoos. On Tuesday, investigators identified the woman as 30-year-old Tara Rogers Alicea of Monroeville, New Jersey.

The NJ Medical Examiner's Office ruled her death a homicide. Investigators say she died from asphyxiation with strangulation.

Both the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office and Egg Harbor Township Police Department are investigating Alicea's death.

If you have any information on the case, please call the Major Crimes Unit at 609-909-7666.

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