GUILTY CA - Pearla Louis, 52, found in suitcase, San Francisco, 18 May 2010

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http://www.ktvu.com/news/23595753/detail.html

Body Found In Suitcase On SF Waterfront








Posted: 11:24 am PDT May 18, 2010Updated: 11:38 am PDT May 18, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO -- A man walking along San Francisco’s scenic waterfront with his niece Tuesday made a shocking discovery on the rocks – a suitcase containing a body.
Lt. Mike Stasko, head of the San Francisco Police Department's homicide division, confirmed the discovery was being treated as a homicide or a questionable death.
“We have a body in a suitcase,” he told KTVU. “Right now, what we are doing is the body is being transported back to the medical examiner’s office....You never get used to something like this. Someone went ahead and … put the body in a suitcase and hoped that it was going to go down in the Bay.”
Stasko said the body had been on the rocks for at least an hour.
The gruesome discovery was made by Margarito Real, who found the suitcase floating in the water near the Embarcadero.
“There was a suitcase floating in the water; my niece saw it first,” Real told KTVU. “We looked at it for a few minutes and then started walking…We told one of the people who was working at the pier that there was a suitcase floating in the water… It just looked suspicious to me.”
Real then ran to a nearby waterfront fire station and alerted authorities. Firefighters quickly responded to the scene and climbed down to the rocks to examine the suitcase.
“He (a firefighter) tried to pull it, but it was heavy,” Real said. “He opened it and I think I saw a leg… It made my skin crawl. They told me to take my niece away…It was a horrible feeling….Fortunately, my niece did not see anything.”


The remains were left in the suitcase and it was taken away to the medical examiner’s office. No details were given as to the victim’s possible age or gender.
Copyright 2010 by KTVU.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 
http://cbs5.com/local/bay.body.suitcase.2.1701173.html


SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) ―
A body was found in a suitcase floating in the Bay Tuesday morning, a San Francisco police spokeswoman said.

A citizen pointed out the suitcase to firefighters returning from a Bay rescue, San Francisco fire spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said. It was floating near The Embarcadero and Folsom Street.

Firefighters notified police at 8:53 a.m., police spokeswoman Lt. Lyn Tomioka said. The body was in the custody of the San Francisco medical examiner Tuesday.


(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/18/BAMG1DGLO6.DTL

A suitcase containing the body of a slain woman was found this morning in the bay off the Embarcadero in San Francisco, police said.



More Bay Area News



The unidentified woman was white or a light-skinned Latina and appeared to be in her 30s, police said. Her body was in the fetal position inside the case, which was found near Folsom Street and the Embarcadero about 8:45 a.m., said Lt. Mike Stasko, head of the police homicide detail.
There was no obvious cause of death, he said, but added that police are treating the matter as a homicide. An autopsy will be performed Wednesday.
A young child walking on the Embarcadero noticed the suitcase and alerted a relative, who called authorities, Stasko said.
He said the suitcase had probably been in the water for only a couple of days, based on the lack of decomposition of the body. There were no tags indicating who owned the suitcase, Stasko said.
He said investigators were checking with the Coast Guard to determine recent tides and currents, in hopes of narrowing down where the suitcase could have been dumped in the water.
E-mail Jaxon Van Derbeken at jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com




Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/18/BAMG1DGLO6.DTL#ixzz0oJO1ieJ4
 
Either the suitcase floated to the Embarcadero or someone chose a really strange place to throw it into the water - lots of people around and lots of much quieter areas fairly nearby.
 
I'm about three blocks away and my coworkers and I were just talking about this. Very crazy, however, very easy to dump a persons body in the middle of the night. Anyone carrying a suitcase here (transient, etc.) does not stand out like a sore thumb. Could have even been dropped off by Richmond or Larkspur area. So, so many possibilities of a dump site. What's also odd is that a woman missing since last week from Fairfax was found yesterday morning floating in Sausalito. We have no idea what happened to her...yet.
http://www.marinij.com/ci_15104990?source=most_viewed

We also have two women missing from West Marin beaches...both missing since Jan of this year.
 
Oh, and we had a woman missing since last month just recently found dead in Napa county. I think they might have a potential POI in that case but I'm not sure. She was last seen at the Barnes in Noble in Fairfield and her car was located there. I haven't heard too much about it since she was found...the cause of death is being withheld.
 
This is something I never get used to hearing about - a person being killed and dumped like garbage.

I haven't had time to read all of the articles about this, but I have a question maybe you can answer.

How close to this area can you get by car? The suitcase was heavy, so it likely wasn't carried far unless more than one person was carrying it, in which case it seems someone would have noticed that. One guy carrying a suitcase isn't unusual, but two people carrying it is a little strange.

If the body was dumped elsewhere, wouldn't the suitcase sink, not float away?
 
http://cbs5.com/crime/bay.body.suitcase.2.1701173.html

Body Found In Suitcase Floating Near Downtown SF

images_image_281095702.jpg
CBS 5 CrimeWatch


SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
Authorities are investigating the suspected homicide of a woman whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase floating in the San Francisco Bay.

A citizen pointed out the suitcase to firefighters returning from a Bay rescue, San Francisco fire spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said. A young child saw the floating suitcase and told a relative who alerted firefighters of its location near The Embarcadero and Folsom Street.

Police said the unidentified woman, who appears to be in her 30s, was in the fetal position inside the suitcase.

Police Lt. Mike Stasko said there is no obvious cause of death. He says the suitcase, which has no owner tags, appears to have been in the water for a couple of days.

Firefighters notified police at 8:53 a.m., police spokeswoman Lt. Lyn Tomioka said. The body was in the custody of the San Francisco medical examiner Tuesday.

Police said late Tuesday that they have identified the victim, but have not released her name pending the notification of family members.


(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
 
This is something I never get used to hearing about - a person being killed and dumped like garbage.

I haven't had time to read all of the articles about this, but I have a question maybe you can answer.

How close to this area can you get by car? The suitcase was heavy, so it likely wasn't carried far unless more than one person was carrying it, in which case it seems someone would have noticed that. One guy carrying a suitcase isn't unusual, but two people carrying it is a little strange.

If the body was dumped elsewhere, wouldn't the suitcase sink, not float away?


This is a good question, I'm not sure. But this morning on Fox news when I was listening to it they mentioned that they have the Coast Guard helping them out with this investigation, also they mentioned that they do know who it is, but is waiting to contact the family before they release. Sorry no link but that is what was on the news @ 6:00 am.
 


http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Autopsy-scheduled-for-body-found-in-suitcase-94263139.html

Autopsy today on body found in suitcase


Bay City News
May 19, 2010




SAN FRANCISCO — An autopsy is scheduled this morning on a body found in a suitcase that was spotted floating in the Bay on Tuesday, according to the San Francisco medical examiner's office.
Shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday, a citizen saw the suitcase floating near the Embarcadero and Folsom Street. The citizen reported it to firefighters who were returning from a rescue in the Bay, San Francisco fire Lt. Mindy Talmadge said.
Firefighters notified police, who are now investigating the death, police Lt. Lyn Tomioka said. No arrests have been made in the case.
Police contacted the U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday to ask for assistance in determining the drift patterns in the Bay around the time the suitcase was found, Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Jeremy Pichette said.
A computer program that the Coast Guard uses in search-and-rescue missions to find out where an object may have drifted "essentially did a reverse search ... trying to go back in time" to estimate where the suitcase may have drifted from, Pichette said.
He said, however, that the program was unable to provide any substantial information that would help police.
The victim's identity has not yet been released. Police said it appears the body had only been in the water for a couple of days.



Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Autopsy-scheduled-for-body-found-in-suitcase-94263139.html#ixzz0oOZRoE00
 


http://www.foxreno.com/news/23607599/detail.html

Coast Guard Computer Of No Help In Suitcase Homicide









Posted: 9:49 am PDT May 19, 2010Updated: 10:23 am PDT May 19, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO -- A sophisticated Coast Guard computer program, used to track the tides of the San Francisco Bay, has failed to be of any help to homicide investigators handling the case of a woman whose body was found in a suitcase on the rocks along the San Francisco waterfront.
Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Jeremy Pichette said a program that the Coast Guard uses in search-and-rescue missions to find out where an object may have drifted "essentially did a reverse search ... trying to go back in time" to estimate where the suitcase may have been dumped into the Bay
But the program was not able to provide any substantial information that would help police, he said.
Meanwhile, an autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday.
The gruesome discovery was made by a tourist walking along San Francisco’s scenic waterfront with his niece on Tuesday.
Lt. Mike Stasko, head of the San Francisco Police Department's homicide division, confirmed that the discovery was being treated as a homicide or a questionable death.
"Someone went ahead and put the body in a suitcase thinking it was going to go down to the bottom of the bay and let fish take care of it," he told KTVU. "Right now, we're going to take care of body and make sure it gets a decent burial."
Stasko said a preliminary examination of the decomposition of the body has revealed that it had been in the water only for a few days.
Police were called to the scene after Margarito Real's niece spotted the suitcase floating in the water near the Embarcadero and he alerted firefighters at a nearby station.
“There was a suitcase floating in the water; my niece saw it first,” Real told KTVU. “We looked at it for a few minutes and then started walking…We told one of the people who was working at the pier that there was a suitcase floating in the water… It just looked suspicious to me.”
Firefighters quickly responded to the scene and climbed down to the rocks to examine the suitcase.
“He (a firefighter) tried to pull it, but it was heavy,” Real said. “He opened it and I think I saw a leg. It made my skin crawl. They told me to take my niece away. It was a horrible feeling. Fortunately, my niece did not see anything.”
The remains were left in the suitcase and taken away to the medical examiner’s office. Police said the woman may have been a light-skinned Latina and appeared to be in her 30s.
 
http://sfappeal.com/alley/2010/05/w...-been-ided-will-be-autopsied-this-morning.php

An autopsy is scheduled this morning on a body found in a suitcase that was spotted floating in the Bay on Tuesday, according to the San Francisco medical examiner's office.
Shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday, a citizen saw the suitcase floating near the Embarcadero and Folsom Street. The citizen reported it to firefighters who were returning from a rescue in the Bay, San Francisco fire Lt. Mindy Talmadge said.
Firefighters notified police, who are now investigating the death, police Lt. Lyn Tomioka said. No arrests have been made in the case.
Police contacted the U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday to ask for assistance in determining the drift patterns in the Bay around the time the suitcase was found, Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Jeremy Pichette said today.
A computer program that the Coast Guard uses in search-and-rescue missions to find out where an object may have drifted "essentially did a reverse search ... trying to go back in time" to estimate where the suitcase may have drifted from, Pichette said.
He said, however, that the program was unable to provide any substantial information that would help police.
The victim's identity has not yet been released. Police said it appears the body had only been in the water for a couple of days
 
http://kron.com/News/ArticleView/tabid/298/smid/1126/ArticleID/6039/reftab/536/Default.aspx

Update: Body in Suitcase Identified as African-American Woman
Created by Brian Shields on 5/19/2010 11:14:00 AM

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- San Francisco police now say the body found inside a suitcase along the San Francisco waterfront Tuesday is that of an African-American woman.

An autopsy is now underway on the remains which a tourist found inside a piece of luggage floating near the Embarcadero and Folsom Blvd.

Police Lt. Lyn Tomioka tells KRON 4 News authorities are withholding the identification of the remains pending notification of next of kin.

Investigators are working with the U.S. Coast Guard to use a computer program that analyzes drift patterns in the Bay in hopes of trying to figure out where the suitcase might have gone into the water. Initial efforts to use the program didn't produce immediate results.

Police aren't yet saying how they identified the remains. A child spotted the suitcase floating near Folsom and the Embarcadero. A relative then pointed it out to firefighters who were completing a rescue operation in the bay. When firefighters opened the case, they reportedly found human remains inside.

"So I looked at it, and in the back of my head I was thinking 'Oh my God, that's big. I wonder what's inside. And then I thought it could be a body, maybe I should call the police.,'" witness Margarito Real told KRON 4's Dan Kerman. "All of these things were going through my head. I walked to the fire department and said there's a suitcase floating in the water. He went down to pull the suitcase and the thing broke. He pulled it from the corner and it kind of opened up. I don't want to say I saw something but I saw like a leg. I saw a light color and it looked like a knee. My skin crawled and I screamed."

Stay tuned to KRON 4 and KRON4.com for the latest on this developing story.

(Copyright 2010, KRON 4, All rights reserved.)
 
NG is covering this tonight. JFYI
 
She has been identified but police not releasing her name, so perhaps they have not been able to notify any family members...
 
This is something I never get used to hearing about - a person being killed and dumped like garbage.

I haven't had time to read all of the articles about this, but I have a question maybe you can answer.

How close to this area can you get by car? The suitcase was heavy, so it likely wasn't carried far unless more than one person was carrying it, in which case it seems someone would have noticed that. One guy carrying a suitcase isn't unusual, but two people carrying it is a little strange.

If the body was dumped elsewhere, wouldn't the suitcase sink, not float away?

Maybe the suitcase had wheels.
 
http://sfappeal.com/alley/2010/05/w...-been-ided-will-be-autopsied-this-morning.php

An autopsy is scheduled this morning on a body found in a suitcase that was spotted floating in the Bay on Tuesday, according to the San Francisco medical examiner's office.
Shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday, a citizen saw the suitcase floating near the Embarcadero and Folsom Street. The citizen reported it to firefighters who were returning from a rescue in the Bay, San Francisco fire Lt. Mindy Talmadge said.
Firefighters notified police, who are now investigating the death, police Lt. Lyn Tomioka said. No arrests have been made in the case.
Police contacted the U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday to ask for assistance in determining the drift patterns in the Bay around the time the suitcase was found, Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Jeremy Pichette said today.
A computer program that the Coast Guard uses in search-and-rescue missions to find out where an object may have drifted "essentially did a reverse search ... trying to go back in time" to estimate where the suitcase may have drifted from, Pichette said.
He said, however, that the program was unable to provide any substantial information that would help police.
The victim's identity has not yet been released. Police said it appears the body had only been in the water for a couple of days

I could be that it was in the water for a couple days. Meaning that it was in the water through several tide changes, so the drift patterns would not be of help. It is interesting that it floated in the first place. One would think it would sink with the weight of a body.
 
I could be that it was in the water for a couple days. Meaning that it was in the water through several tide changes, so the drift patterns would not be of help. It is interesting that it floated in the first place. One would think it would sink with the weight of a body.

I thought this too McSpy. I wondered two things. 1. Was the suitcase of a type that would have trapped sufficient amount of air that helped it to stay afloat (under the top of the water but not sinking to the bottom)

and

2. Although the media reports state that there was very little decomp, the human body usually decomps from inward to outward. The state of internal decomp may have been enough to keep the suitcase somewhat aloft in the water. (internal gases produced when decomp of the bacteria and natural flora of the intestines begin to produce gases).

JMHO and thoughts that I had.

Whoever she is, prayers for her family. They have gotten the worst news of their lives.
 

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