Chilling unanswered questions as woman found dead in rubbish chute after party

04 December 2023 , 11:08

908 0

Heartbroken family and friends have been left with several unanswered questions after the remains of a missing young woman were found down the bottom of a garbage chute.

The lifeless body of 24-year-old Jaclyn Elmquist was discovered in the trash chute of the upscale +Art building at 540 West 28th Street in Chelsea, Manhattan. The young woman had gone missing after attending a work party, leaving her family and friends in shock. She was captured in surveillance footage stumbling along West 28th Street in Manhattan, New York at around 11.45pm on Thursday, November 30 and trying to open doors along the street before ending up at the luxury apartment building.

READ MORE: Heartbroken dad speaks out as woman, 24, found dead in building's rubbish chute

Jaclyn's distraught father, James Elmquist, expressed his deep sorrow while waiting outside his daughter's Brooklyn apartment, calling the incident "tragic." Fighting back tears, he spoke briefly about the situation, unable to express his pain. He told the New York Post: "We’re going through Jackie’s things now. It’s tragic and, uh, it’s just a bad situation I can’t really talk." He then teared up and became too choked up to speak.

For all the latest news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US

Nicola Bulley's children 'cried their eyes out' after being told 'mummy's lost'

She was last seen getting into a yellow taxi outside the posh Catch Steakhouse in Manhattan (Jackieelmquist/Facebook)

The missing person poster (Handout)

The NYPD, currently treating the case as an accident, stated that there is no suspicion of foul play. Surveillance footage outside the building captured Jaclyn walking unsteadily on the sidewalk, and at one point, she gripped onto a wall for support. The possibility of intoxication has been raised by a police source, but it is yet to be confirmed. "It hasn't been determined if she was intoxicated but it's a possibility," a police source said. "It's being looked at." Missing photos and flyers across the area were put up to help locate her until she was found.

Jaclyn Elmquist's friends and family mourn

Jaclyn Elmquist, employed at Mission Staffing, a New York City-based employment agency, was last seen after a company party. It remains unclear why she entered the seemingly random building where her tragic demise occurred. Her cousin, posting on X, shared the distressing news and urged the community to help locate her.

The young woman was captured in surveillance footage stumbling along West 28th Street in Manhattan (NBC New York)

The post read: "My cousin Jackie Elmquist has been missing since last night after she left a work party in Manhattan - she didn’t come home or show up for work this morning please spread the word so people in the area can see it since all of her family lives here in Minnesota."

The building superintendent in Brooklyn, where Jaclyn resided, expressed shock upon learning of her death. Friends described her as a friendly and seemingly happy individual. A woman who identified herself as Jaclyn's friend tearfully called the incident "the most tragic loss of life."

Jaclyn's grandfather, John Elmquist, previously stated that the family were in New York and awaiting more information about the circumstances leading to her death. He said: "At this point, we don’t know anymore than you do, I guess… My son and his daughter are in New York now and we’re waiting to hear from them." The cause and manner of Jaclyn Elmquist's death are pending an autopsy by the city Medical Examiner's office.

Ongoing investigation

Police were called to the scene at around 2.40pm following reports of someone injured in the area after a maintenance man had discovered the body while taking out the rubbish. However, on Saturday afternoon it was tragically confirmed the body found at the bottom of a rubbish chute on Friday evening was indeed Jaclyn, who was originally from Minnesota.

Jaclyn Elmquist was found at the bottom of a rubbish chute in a luxury New York apartment building (Peter Gerber)

Cops did not believe any foul play in the death and said it appeared as though she had died as a result of falling down the rubbish chute. The body was discovered with evidence of trauma to the body and head. "It's terrible. Man, I feel awful for that person," a neighbour said.

It is unclear how long she had been in the basement before being discovered. Investigators were at the apartment complex gathering information throughout Friday night. The upmarket 13 story +art building is just one street away from High Line Park and has property going for millions of dollars.

Her dad, James Elmquist, was outside his daughter’s Brooklyn apartment on Sunday afternoon (Peter Gerber)

A spokesman for NYPD said on Saturday: "A 24-year-old woman was found unconscious and unresponsive in a garbage compactor at the bottom of a trash chute at 540 West 28th Street. EMS responded and pronounced her dead at the scene. Preliminary investigations suggest she died having fallen down the garbage chute. No criminality is suspected at this time. The medical examiner will confirm the exact cause of death. At this time the investigation remains ongoing."