In May of 1996, an attractive blonde woman drove a shiny BMW from Maryland to Virginia

to dispose of an awkward package.

A few days later, a loud and county sheriff's deputy spotted something odd while driving

through Harper's Ferry National Park.

In fact, the big black steamer trunk looked suspiciously out of place.

The deputy pulled over to take a closer look, but the heavy trunk barely moved when he nudged

it with his foot.

Next, he reached down and gingerly lifted the hinged top.

Inside were two duffle bags, one inside the other.

Then, as he unzipped the innermost bag, his gaze was returned by a milky human eye peering

up at him through the dark recess.

The corpse belonged to an emaciated elderly man wearing only a pajama top.

His head was partially covered by a soiled pillowcase, but the body wasn't in an advanced

state of decay.

He obviously hadn't been dead for very long.

He must have been killed elsewhere and dumped in the park.

But the deputy found it strange that the trunk was in such a conspicuous location.

He radioed in his grisly find and secured the crime scene until a forensic team could

arrive.

Later, during the autopsy, the medical examiner discovered cuts and abrasions all over

the man's body.

He had significant bruising and swelling around his neck and throat as well.

...