(Brandy Odom/ Facebook)
26-year-old Brandy Odom’s severed body parts were identified by officials after being found in Brooklyn’s Canarsie Park Monday night.
Around 6:10 p.m. (Apr. 9), Patricia Smith told News 12 that she initially noticed the gruesome discovery while walking her dog in the park.
“I was walking my dog at the same regular path, and as I went in the path and looked to the left, I saw something resembling a garbage bag. But as I went by and looked back and looked again, I realized it was a body that was dismembered and then I just took off running,” the woman told reporters.
The victim’s head and bare torso were somewhat covered by leaves and branches, while her arms and legs were recovered in a garbage bag by officials about a half-mile away in the vicinity. She reportedly lived across the street from the park with her family.
The young woman had been missing for months, but her tattoo with the word “chocolate” printed on her left breast aided authorities in the identification process, NBC New York reported. Police reportedly believe Odom was murdered elsewhere, but the killer dumped her remains in the Brooklyn area.
Officials at Canarsie Park. (The Cut. News 12)
“She didn’t deserve that — she was young and vibrant,” Bell, a friend to the family, told the New York Post. “She would walk a mile for you.”
Bell added that Odom “wanted to get her own place and start a family and “she was working hard, trying to get her life together.” She also mentioned that the 26-year-old was having “family problems”.
“She was street, but she was trying to get her life together… She was just like a sister. I hope they solve this quick because if someone can do that to her I can’t imagine what else they can do,” Bell said.
The motive behind the gruesome death remains unknown but the city Medical Examiner will help determine the cause of death. The young woman’s mother and sister identified her via photos on Tuesday.
“I have no idea who’d want to hurt her… About a year ago she started talking to this guy from Chicago. I don’t know what happened after that, but maybe it was someone she dated,” Bell told the news source.
Odom reportedly worked at a local UPS store and had just acquired her GED.