Residents of a suburban Chicago apartment complex had been complaining of a foul odor in the building for months, they said, eventually leading police to a horrifying discovery.
Waukegan police said they were called to the apartment in the 100 block of Drew Lane for a "reported deceased subject." Authorities said someone who went to the apartment found a "decomposing" body.
"The smell was very bad – it was not a normal smell – you could tell it was something dead and rotting like decaying," said Felicia, a resident of the building who said she had been reporting the "overpowering" smell to her landlord for months.
"I would try to clean my bathroom and use bleach and it would overpower that... it was horrible," she said.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
The person was not immediately identified and a cause of death not released. Police said an autopsy was being conducted but the department noted there was "speculation surrounding the identity of the deceased as possibly being a missing person reported months earlier."
Some questioned whether the body could be that of 22-year-old Bianca Haas, who was reported missing from the Chicago suburb earlier this year. Tenants said the woman lived in the apartment where the body was found.
An investigation was underway Friday, authorities said.
