A body covered in concrete in the basement of a hoarder's home has been discovered after cops received a tip-off.
Police officers arrived at the 5200 block of Burton Street in Wissinoming, Philadelphia, US on Monday afternoon after being informed a missing woman of eight years was buried there.
The home has been the subject of a police investigation as investigators arrived at the property last week and found it full of rubbish.
It took officers two days to remove the debris and rubbish which revealed human remains on Thursday evening.
After chiselling and removing the concrete surrounding the body, the remains were eventually uncovered.
The body will be sent to a medical examiner who will perform an autopsy to see if the person died of natural causes or if they were killed in the home.
In addition, the remains of the body have not been identified.
Neighbours confirmed they hadn't seen the family which lived there in several days.
Melissa Rosario, a neighbour who has watched police search the property for the last six days, said: "You don't know what's going on -- all these rumours, all these stories.
"It took them so long to clean out the house. It's like, 'Oh, maybe it's a lie and maybe there's not a body there.' And then to hear the body was there for eight years?"
Neighbours revealed how they've seen investigators and workers in hazmat suits bring multiple bags of rubbish out of the home in the six days since officers executed a search warrant.
Police hadn't confirmed how much longer they intended to be at the house as the investigation continues.
The discovery came just days after Philadelphia was revealed to have had 500 murders this year - an increase since 2016.
According to police data, the murder rate for 2022 is a fraction lower than last year.
In 2021, the city reported 562 murders, which is the highest number of killings the city has seen in recent years.
Mayor Jim Kenney said at a press conference: "As of today, 500 people’s lives have been cut short by senseless violence in our city.
"That's 500 of our friends, neighbors, colleagues and family members. As we enter this holiday season, I can't help but think of all the incredible potential that has been extinguished by this loss of life."
