By Valerie Kalfrin
The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA - Police are trying every means they can fathom to identify a woman whose remains were excavated Tuesday, including tracing serial numbers on her breast implants.

Tampa police Maj. George McNamara this afternoon shared what little information the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner and investigators were able to glean about the woman buried in a shallow grave behind a cleaning company at 2110 N. 71st St.

“This case is a homicide,” he said, noting he would not release how the woman died.

Police estimate the woman was buried in the grassy area behind the business about three to four weeks ago. Workers at first thought the grave contained an animal. Tuesday, because of the foul odor of decomposition, they dug up the grave, discovered the woman’s remains and called police.

McNamara said the woman is thought to be in her 20s or 30s. She stood about 5 feet 4 inches tall.  She had shoulder-length blond or brown hair, and what he called “normal teeth,” meaning no braces, false teeth or similar dental work.

When she was found, she was wearing only a size 4 blue American Eagle denim miniskirt, he said.

“She had red toenail polish on her toes and a Band-Aid on the top of her left ring finger,” he said.

The woman also had breast implants, McNamara said. Police are trying to trace any identifying numbers on the implants, he said.

Police so far cannot find a match for the woman among local missing persons cases or fingerprints on file. McNamara said investigators will continue in those efforts and also sent out a nationwide alert about the woman’s remains through the National Crime Information Center.

He asked residents who had not seen a friend or relative that matches this description in about a month to call police at (813) 231-6130.

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