An autopsy is taking place in Lisbon today to try and discover the identity of a badly decomposed body, found wrapped in black plastic, in a black suitcase on waste ground in Fontelas, Loures over the weekend.
The grisly find was chanced upon by young BTT riders, who noticed the “terrible smell”.
The boys tracked the smell to a large black suitcase, hidden under rocks, and actually tried opening it.
When they failed to prise the lock, they called one of their fathers, who instantly alerted GNR police.
“The minute the GNR opened the case, there was no doubt that it was a body,” father Henrique Domingos told Correio da Manhã on Saturday.
“It was covered in black plastic. We only saw the head, in an advanced stage of decomposition.”
According to Observador website, police initially thought they were dealing with the body of a child. It now appears this is unlikely, and that the most probable identity is that of an adult male.
A young man whose grandfather disappeared from the area two years ago has already been interviewed by PJ police, but “the hypothesis” that the body could be that of his elderly relative has for now been excluded.
Local resident Mário Batista told CM that it is very possible that the suitcase was dumped weeks ago.
For now, investigations hinge on the results of today’s autopsy.
