Sheriff: Death of woman found in landfill was 'violent homicide'

BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. - Investigators released new details and images Wednesday in the discovery of a body in the Bartow County landfill.

According to Bartow Sheriff Clark Millsap, the remains are those of a white woman, between 5'2" and 5'6" tall, weighing about 150 pounds with brown or red hair.  Authorities hope a new Georgia Bureau of Investigation sketch of the victim will help someone identify her in what they describe as a "disturbing case."

"I've been doing this for almost 35 years and I've never seen anything like this before," said Sheriff Millsap.  "She was cut into pieces and they packed all the pieces into individual bags and placed them in one dumpster." 

A sanitation worker found the woman's remains in the dumpster at around 12:15 Monday afternoon when he went to drop off the contents at the landfill. 

"One of the bags came open when he opened the back of the dumpster, which is before he pushes all the contents out, and the bottom torso fell out," Millsap explained. 

Deputies are not sure when the woman was killed, but they do have an idea of when her body was put inside that dumpster at the county recycling center located on Cedar Creek Road.

"The container that she was in was closed at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Saturday," explained Sheriff Millsap.

There are no surveillance cameras at that facility, Millsap said. 

In addition to the GBI sketch, investigators released an image of the tattoos across the victim's chest. Law enforcement described them as two Easter lilies and a sacred heart.

"It's a very distinctive tattoo," said Millsap.  "I doubt if there's many like this anywhere."

Anyone who recognizes the woman should contact the Bartow County Sheriff's Office at 770-382-5050.

RELATED: Deputies: Dismembered body found at Bartow County Landfill