Decomposed Body Found Hanging From Tree in West Philadelphia

An entrance to West Philadelphia’s Morris Park, where a body was found hanging from a tree in the woods on Sunday morning (photo by Victor Fiorillo)

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Decomposed Body Founding Hanging From a Tree In Morris Park Woods In West Philadelphia

A grim start to the week.

On Sunday, police reported finding a body hanging from a tree in Morris Park, a park on the western edge of the city, abutting City Avenue and Montgomery County. In a statement, police described the body as “decomposed.” The body was found in a part of the park near 66th Street.

A neighbor, who reportedly found the body on Sunday morning, said she began smelling what she believed to be decomposing flesh as early as the Sunday a week prior. And yesterday, she decided to go in search of what might be causing the odor. That’s when she made the startling discovery in a heavily wooded section of Morris Park.

Paramedics pronounced the individual deceased at 9:50 a.m. The Southwest Detectives division of the Philadelphia Police Department is investigating.

On Monday morning, investigators said they had no further information about the incident in Morris Park, including any identifying characteristics such as age, sex, or race, or whether the medical examiner’s office had determined the manner of death, i.e. homicide or suicide.

Anyone with information can reach the Southwest Detectives division at 215-686-3183.

Bomb Threat Leads to French Montana Concert Cancelation

Moroccan-born rapper French Montana was scheduled to close out his “Gotta See It to Believe It” tour in Philadelphia on Sunday night with a concert at the Fillmore. But the French Montana concert didn’t happen. According to a Fox 29 report, a woman called police with a bomb threat, claiming that there were two explosive devices near the main entrance of the Fillmore. Cops came out and did a search but found nothing. It also appears that two French Montana concerts scheduled for last week in Pittsburgh and Virginia were also canceled, though the cause for those cancelations remains unclear.

Sporting Struggles

The Vikings clobbered the Eagles on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, with a final score of 26 to 3. Sure, it was “just” a preseason game. But it would have been nice to win it! Next up for the Eagles is their regular season opener, the much-talked-about Brazil game against the Packers. That happens on Friday, September 6th, at 8:15 p.m.

As for the Phillies, well, we’re doing our best to make the race for the National League East interesting. We were well ahead not long ago, but the Atlanta Braves keep closing the gap on us, with the Mets not far behind them. We’ve got three games against the dreaded Houston Astros, who make their first visit to Philly since they beat us in the 2022 World Series. And then we’ve got four (yes, four) games against the Braves at Citizens Bank park starting on Thursday. Buckle up.

Things You Didn’t Know You Needed

Photos of the 2024 Philly Naked Bike Ride. (The smile on the face of the woman pushing a kid in a stroller is pretty priceless … but what is the kid thinking of all this?)

By the Numbers

$0: What you’ll pay to ride New Jersey Transit this week. Bus, train, light rail. All free. Whether you just want to hop a bus from one town to another or take a train from 30th Street Station to Atlantic City or Trenton to New York. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy instituted the so-called Fare Holiday as an apology for all the service disruptions New Jersey Transit customers have faced of late.

96: Forecasted high for Wednesday. Ugh. Atlantic City is ten degrees cooler and you can take that free New Jersey Transit train.

630: Number of Mister Softee trucks out on the streets these days. In its heyday, the South Jersey company had something like 2,000 trucks on the road. In a new report, CNN explores what’s happening with these sweet treats. For a look back at the history of Mister Softee in the Philadelphia area, check out Philly Mag’s deep dive from 2021.

Local Talent

Best of Philly-winning Philadelphia drag queen Sapphira Cristal was this close to winning the latest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Alas, we’ll just have to settle for second place. This week, Sapphira closes out a 23-city tour of the United States with two nights at the TLA on South Street. Tickets here. For more on Sapphira, see our mini profile from earlier this year: “From Woody’s to RuPaul: Sapphira Cristál’s Glorious Journey.”