Police hope tattoos help ID severed body
No one has come forward to identify the severed body found in Arlington Heights, so police released images of the man's three tattoos Wednesday.
Two of the tattoos are of a joker, also known as the "Laugh Now Cry Later" image, said Cmdr. Ken Galinski of the Arlington Heights Police Department.
"We do believe that image to be gang related," he said.
The image of the joker smiling appears on the man's right pelvic area with the sad joker on the pelvis' left side. Only the bottom half of the tattoos was visible since the top half of the images was removed along with the upper half of the body.
A police sketch artist drew the top half of the joker image, Galinski said.
Police also found the letter "C" just above the man's right knee. The "C" is about one-inch tall and the joker is about three-inches tall, police said.
The partial body was found late Friday behind the Marketview Apartments. It was wrapped in an extra-large black garbage bag next to trash receptacles. Police said a canvass of the neighborhood determined the remains were most likely deposited there after 7 a.m. Wednesday.
Medical examiner's officials Saturday said the body was severed just above the pelvis by a sharp instrument, such as a blade. The office could not determine the victim's identity or age, or the time of death.
A spokeswoman also said they could not determine exactly how the victim died, or if he was killed before being cut.
Police believe the upper half of the body is probably no longer in Arlington Heights.
Anyone with information should call the Arlington Heights Police Department at (847) 368-5300.
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<li><a href="/story/?id=374038">Part of human body found in bag behind Arlington Heights apartments<span class="date"> [4/18/10]</span></a></li>
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