A woman’s decomposed remains were found in a folded-up mattress in Upper Darby, police say

A woman’s decomposed remains were found late Sunday in a folded-up mattress in an Upper Darby alleyway, police said, but investigators were unsure of many other details, including who the woman was or how she died.

Upper Darby Police Superintendent Timothy M. Bernhardt said Monday that a neighbor called 911 about 11:40 p.m. Sunday after seeing the woman’s remains in an alley behind houses on the 7000 block of Greenwood Avenue. Officers discovered the body, and the Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy.

Bernhardt said that the medical examiner ruled the death suspicious but that a cause of death had not yet been determined. He said there were no obvious signs of blunt force trauma or gunshot wounds.

He also said authorities were not yet sure of the woman’s name or age, or when she died. Police were searching for evidence that could help shed light on how her body ended up in the mattress in an alleyway behind several houses.

Bernhardt said detectives were checking reports of missing people in the area, though none from Upper Darby seemed to be a match.