The body of a missing woman has been found stuffed inside a suitcase at a homeless encampment after a nearby shooting prompted officials to clear the site.
Shannon Marie Caslin Reeder, 37, was last seen alive in November 2023.
On September 27 – almost one year on – her body was found by volunteers from a homeless charity in East Duwamish Greenbelt Park, Seattle, reported KOMO News.
She had been stuffed inside a large suitcase which was left dumped underneath a pile of trash, Washington State Patrol said.
The shocking discovery came after a man was recently shot close to the encampment, prompting charity workers and authorities to clear the area out, the outlet reported.
It was during the clean-up that Reeder’s remains were discovered.
The body was later confirmed to belong to the missing woman, who WSP said was “known to reside in the area.” The King County Medical Examiner’s Office is now working to determine her cause of death, reported The Seattle Times.
“It was absolutely one of the most heinous, disgusting things that I’ve ever heard,” Tim Emerson, program director for the charity We Heart Seattle told KOMO News of the way her body was discarded.
“It’s hard to believe that a human being could do something like that to another human.
“We’re going to be able to assure that we don’t have any more dead bodies along the interstate as we meet the campmates that are still here. It’s always a worry and a concern, but you always just have to be smart, watch your backs – know your sides and know who you’re dealing with.”
An investigation has now been launched into Reeder’s death, with authorities working to put together a timeline of her last movements and asking anyone who saw or made contact with her in the last 12 months to come forward.
“Anyone with information, that might be helpful in finding out what happened to Shannon, or who might have knowledge of who may have been involved in her untimely death and the callous disposal of her remains are asked to call Detective John Ford at 425-401-7742 or Detective Ivan Sergeev at 425-401-771,” WSP said in a statement.
The Independent contacted Washington State Patrol and We Heart Seattle for further comment.
