DETROIT – Detroit firefighters discovered a body inside a burning SUV early Friday morning on the city's east side.
Police are asking for the public's help in finding the person or people responsible for the homicide on Albany Street near the Warren Truck Plant on Eight Mile and Mound roads.
There used to be abandoned homes in the area, but they've since been demolished and replaced by trees. Police said a killer decided it was a great place to dispose of a body.
Resident Cordelia Murphy's daughter left early for work and saw the burning Jeep.
"She came through here and heard a bang and a loud noise, saw the fire and two guys running away up the street," Murphy said.
The commotion rocked neighbor Leon Randolph out of bed.
"My dog was going crazy, and I'm smelling this rubber burning and I hear popping sounds," Randolph said.
He said he called 911, but firefighters were already on their way.
Murphy said it's troubling to know this happened just behind her house on the other side of a fence.
"It had to be a planned thing to know that you could put a car up between there and set it on fire like that and nobody see you," Murphy said.
The stubborn fire required two visits by firefighters.
Homicide detectives spent a couple of hours at the crime scene. Police fanned out into the neighborhood, looking to speak with neighbors and see if any security cameras could help them identify a suspect.