The body of a man with a bag over his head was reportedly pulled from a South Philadelphia home’s freezer on Friday.
Police have since taken a person of interest into custody following the discovery of a dead body in a basement freezer box with a knife nearby, according to NBC Philadelphia. Law enforcement was alerted to the suspected murder after family members of two men called on the home to check on them and found a large amount of blood at the property.
Officers reportedly found blood leading down the basement stairs around 6:30 a.m., and eventually found the body lying face-down in the freezer box, NBC continued.
BREAKING: “Body found in freezer.” @PhillyPolice sources tell me in this South Philadelphia home on Snyder Avenue. “Lots & lots of blood on scene.” Homicide sources say. Live report coming up in seconds on @FOX29philly pic.twitter.com/Y7oBDr46b1
— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) December 23, 2022
The man was pronounced dead at the scene, but the cause of death is under investigation. The deceased may have been stabbed prior to being placed in the freezer but a bag was also placed over the victim’s head, NBC noted.
It’s unclear to whom the body belongs and how long it was in the freezer. A father and son frequent the property, but neither has been heard from recently, NBC continued. (RELATED: REPORT: Coroner Says He Cried, Couldn’t Eat For A Week In Most Heinous Crime He’s Ever Seen)
There were no signs of forced entry at the home, but a neighbor said that a man wielding a knife had recently been spotted in the surrounding neighborhood.
Philadelphia, like many U.S. cities, has seen a historic rise in violent crime in 2022, with some 503 homicides reported as of Friday, NBC noted. This is the second consecutive year that homicides have reached more than 500, but the total number of homicides in Philadelphia is technically down 8% compared to 2021, NBC concluded.