From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
BESSEMER — Police in Bessemer are trying to determine what happened to a woman whose body was found 15 feet (5 meters) below ground in a sewer manhole.
The Bessemer Police Department was dispatched to the scene Tuesday afternoon after county workers reported finding the badly-decomposed body in the covered manhole at the corner of an intersection. Crews had been working in the area because of recent flooding.
“In my 30 years with the Bessemer Police Department, I’ve never seen a body recovered from a storm drain,” Bessemer Police Chief Mike Roper said.
Investigators said the body appeared to be female, but an identity and a cause of death will have to be confirmed by an autopsy because of the state of decomposition, according to the agency. Police haven’t said whether foul play is suspected.
Agencies in the area said they’re looking into whether any missing persons reports may be connected to the discovery.
No additional details were released.