See Update No. 3 on Page 2 identifying the victim as Jarrae Nykkole Estepp, 21. Update Nos. 1-2 on the next page revealed the body was a woman's and the case is being investigated as a homicide.
ORIGINAL POST, MARCH 14, 12:16 P.M.: A body was found in the trash at an Anaheim waste and recycling center, according to authorities.
Republic Services is at 1131 N. Blue Gum St., Anaheim, which is near the intersection of the 91 and 57 freeways.
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Someone was reportedly looking through trash for things that could possibly be recycled when the body was discovered.
Law enforcement teams are at the scene now.
UPDATE NO. 1, MARCH 14, 12:55 P.M.: The body found at the warehouse-like facility around 10:30 this morning is that of a woman, according to police.
It was delivered to the Anaheim disposal and recycling facility in a trash bin, Anaheim Police Lt. Tim Schmidt told City News Service, adding the body was intact.
UPDATE NO. 2, MARCH 14, 3:30 P.M.: The discovery of the woman's body at Republic Services, which collects trash and recyclables from northern Orange and southern Los Angeles counties, is being investigated as a homicide, according to Anaheim Police.
A worker found the body on a conveyor belt used to separate recyclables from trash and yard waste, police added, noting the deceased woman was found unclothed and “intact.”
Initial reports indicating the body was headless may have been due to the woman having been found face down with the top half of her body covered in trash.
Investigators are attempting to identify the woman, who appeared to have been killed recently, through fingerprints or her tattoos, according to Lt. Tim Schmidt, the Anaheim Police spokesman, who added she appeared to have been 20 to 40 years old.
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UPDATE NO. 3, MARCH 18, 10:04 A.M.: The woman whose body was found Friday at an Anaheim recycling plant has been identified 21-year-old Jarrae Nykkole Estepp of Empire, which is near Modesto in Stanislaus County.
That's a long way from where the body was found, but Anaheim Police know she was carrying a backpack with her in and around Ball Road and Beach Boulevard on Thursday and Friday. The department has distributed fliers with Estepp's photos on them in that area, according to Anaheim Police Lt. Tim Schmidt.
That is an area known for prostitution. Estepp pleaded guilty in July 2012 to prostitution in Oklahoma City, where officials from No Boundaries International, a nonprofit dedicated to ending human slavery, knew her by her street name “Sarah.” Estepp left behind a young son in Oklahoma City when she came to California.
She was white, 5-foot-3, 145 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. Her tattoos included the name “Jodi” on the left side of her neck and a large cross with a rose on her left arm:
Investigators are trying to determine whether there is any connection between Estepp's death and last fall's disappearance in Santa Ana of four women with histories of prostitution arrests or substance abuse issues.
Kianna Jackson, Josephine Vargas, Martha Anaya Missing From Santa Ana Since Aug. 13, 2013
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