Emaciated body of special needs woman found in abandoned U-Haul: Coroner

Law enforcement initially mistook the 26-year-old’s remains for an infant’s, according to reports

Indianapolis authorities are investigating after a woman’s body was reportedly found inside an abandoned U-Haul van.

According to WTHR, the body found Wednesday afternoon in a plastic bin has been identified as Alyssa Sanderfer, 26. While her cause of death remains a mystery, a source told the news station that she died no more than a month earlier.

WISH reported that the van had recently been returned to U-Haul Moving & Storage of Southern Plaza and employees made the unsettling discovery while cleaning the van. The 26-year-old reportedly had cerebral palsy and lived with her mother and sister. Their whereabouts aren’t immediately known.

Brandi Neely told WISH that the woman used a feeding tube and was unable to speak. Neely claimed that her family owns the home the Sanderfers previously lived in.

“They had skipped town in the middle of the night. Moved out on my uncle and grandma, rented a U-Haul and moved everything that they could overnight,” Neely said, adding that the family moved out about a month ago.

Clarifying initial reports, Seargent Chris Wilburn said the remains found in the bin did not belong to an infant. Neely believes she knows the reason for the confusion.

“That makes sense. Her arms and legs weren’t developed as a normal grown 26-year old would be,” she said.

It’s unclear who returned the van but investigators are reviewing rental logs, WISH reported. No arrests have been made.

“That is all a part of the investigation,” Officer Jim Gillespie explained.

“That is what the investigators are working on right now as far as determining how this van got here, who may have been in possession of it, who was responsible for it, as well as speaking to anybody who came in contact with them.”

[Featured Image: Alyssa Sanderfer/Facebook]