Police say they found the body this morning in a shallow grave outside the home at North 4th and Cowan Streets.
"My first thought was I was shocked," said William Wells, who lives in the home. "I said, 'no. Oh, my goodness, that couldn't be true.'"
The female body was discovered outside the house at 1115 Cowan Street on the north end of downtown Wilmington.
Police spokesman Kevin Smith says family members of a young woman had notified police Tuesday she was missing and was last seen at that house.
"As part of that investigation, we determined that she might have been at this address, so an officer came out here and responded in attempt to try and locate her," Smith said.