Police in Liverpool are appealing for information to identify a woman whose body was found inside a bin bag near a Premier League football ground more than four weeks ago.
Merseyside Police said 126 women have already been ruled out as officers continue their efforts to establish the victim’s identity.
The woman was discovered at around 5.25pm on August 28, when police were called to Stanley Park after a black bin bag was found among bushes inside a walled garden.
Officers found the woman’s body inside and believe it may have been there for several weeks, potentially since July.
Forensic checks have so far failed to find a match on the national DNA database. Dental records have also been ruled out as an identification method because the woman had no teeth.
Police said the woman appeared to have been malnourished and had signs of osteoporosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and arthritis affecting her hands.
She was believed to be white and in her 70s, although detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was slightly younger or older. She was around 5ft 2in tall, of slight build and had strawberry-blonde hair.
At the time she was found, she was wearing a distinctive pink Nike T-shirt.
Officers have spoken to people at at least 900 properties in the surrounding area as part of the investigation. Following those enquiries, 126 women were identified as possible matches but have since been ruled out.
Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald said police hoped details about the woman’s medical conditions could help someone recognise her.
“Whilst we believe the woman to be aged around 70, we have not ruled out that she could be slightly younger or older,” he said, urging members of the public to keep that possibility in mind.
Detective Superintendent Rachel Wilson previously described the discovery as a “shocking crime” and urged residents in the Anfield area to come forward with any information, even if they believed it was insignificant.
Police have also established a dedicated online portal where members of the public can submit photographs or video footage directly to the investigation team.
The circumstances surrounding the woman’s death remain under investigation, while officers continue trying to establish who she was and how her body came to be left in the park.
