Body found in Plainfield house
Sunday, July 08, 2007
BY ALLISON STEELE
Star-Ledger Staff
An autopsy was under way yesterday to identify the body of a woman who was found in a vacant house in Plainfield on Friday. The woman's body was badly decomposed, the police said, and it was not known how she died, how old she was or how long she had been there.
The woman was found in the Field Avenue home on Friday evening, after neighbor Cenada Morales called 911.
The house was a hangout for drug addicts and homeless people, neighbors said, and often men and women were seen going in and hanging around outside -- particularly a young woman who seemed to be there almost every day.
Morales, who has lived next door for almost seven years, was near the backyard of the house when she noticed a stench. She initially believed it was a dead animal, but later she became concerned. She realized that she hadn't seen the young woman in more than a week, she said.
"I see a lot of people come and go," she said in Spanish, with her niece, Gabriela Lopez, translating. "You never know if something's going to happen there."
The house has been vacant for at least five years, neighbors said. Some of its windows are boarded up, and the grass and weeds in the backyard is several feet tall. Although the building's reputation is well-known in the community, neighbors say the house is usually relatively quiet and disturbances there are rare.
Plainfield Police Sgt. Larry Brown said that the police are familiar with the woman described by the neighbors, but he could not confirm that she was the woman found. The autopsy was still being performed yesterday afternoon.
Allison Steele may be reached at
asteele@starledger.com or (732) 404-8083.
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