Body of missing Minnesota woman, 24, found in garbage chute in NYC building, ‘it’s tragic,’ says devastated dad
Shocking surveillance footage showed Jaclyn ‘Jackie’ Elmquist, 24, stumbling down West 28th Street, trying to open doors, before she was found dead
A woman who had gone missing was found deadin the garbage chute at a condo building in Manhattan a day later, according to law enforcement sources. Police said the body was identified as that of Jaclyn ‘Jackie’ Elmquist, 24. She was found at 540 West 28th Street in Chelsea late last week by a building employee. She had vanished aftera work party.
Elmquist’s cousin shared a missing person poster on X after she disappeared. “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,” she captioned it.
Officers and EMS rushed to the luxury residential complex after her body was found, and she was declared dead at the scene. Shocking surveillance footage showedElmquiststumbling down West 28t Street, trying to open doors, before she was found dead. It is unclear why she entered the building. Police are now reportedly investigating whetherElmquist is connected to amissing person's case where a woman was last spotted at a nearby restaurant, boarding a cab.
“We’re going through Jackie’s things now,” Elmquist’s father, James Elmquist, of Minnesota, told New York Post. “It’s tragic and, uh, it’s just a bad situation I can’t really talk.”
Police said they believe the death was an accident and no foul play is involved, according to the outlet. "A preliminary investigation determined the deceased's injuries are indicative of having fallen down the garbage chute," a Deputy Commissioner of Public Information spokesperson shared, according to PEOPLE.
“It hasn’t been determined if she was intoxicated but it’s a possibility,” a police source said, as per New York Post. An autopsy by the city Medical Examiner’s office, that will determine her cause and manner of death, is pending.
