Horror, and a hunt for clues, in S.F. body parts case

San Francisco police investigate a suitcase full of body parts found on 11th Street near Mission Street on Wednesday, January 28, 2015. San Francisco police investigate a suitcase full of body parts found on 11th Street near Mission Street on Wednesday, January 28, 2015. Photo: Scott Strazzante / Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Scott Strazzante / Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Horror, and a hunt for clues, in S.F. body parts case 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

The discovery of chopped-up body parts outside a Goodwill store in San Francisco’s South of Market sent shock and horror through the neighborhood Thursday as police worked to find a person of interest captured on surveillance camera footage around the time of the grisly dumping.

But as police investigated Wednesday afternoon’s discovery and returned to the area to look for evidence, they weren’t sure exactly what kind of case they had on their hands. They worked to confirm they were dealing with a single victim and determine where, when and how the person died. They weren’t even certain there was a murder before the dismemberment.

Complicating matters, the remains found inside and outside a suitcase on 11th Street, between Mission and Market streets, included a leg and a torso but not a head or lower arms or hands, said a source familiar with the investigation. Police did not specify the gender of the victim whose torso was found or release further details on the condition of the body parts.

“It’s going to take a little investigation from the medical examiner,” said Grace Gatpandan, a police spokeswoman. She said investigators were looking for a person of interest after reviewing camera footage and speaking to witnesses, but had not made any arrests.

Those who live and work South of Market said they were unnerved and disgusted. The body parts were found around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday after someone flagged down an officer about “a suspicious looking suitcase,” police officials said. Officers took a look and found the roller-type suitcase containing a cut-up body amid garbage and debris near the entrance to Goodwill’s As-Is Store.

'Really weird’

“There’s a lot you expect on the streets, but that’s not one of them,” said Randy Marchant, 58, an attorney for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who works in the building across 11th Street from where the suitcase was found. “That was really weird,” he said. “But I guess that’s part of living in San Francisco.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard of something like this after living in San Francisco for 13 years,” said Ahmed Bouzertit, who catches a Muni bus every afternoon half a block from where the suitcase was found. “It’s terrible news. You don’t want this crazy person to be running in the streets — maybe he’s looking for the next victim.”

“It’s creepy,” Charlotte Hunt said Thursday. She catches the same bus and was waiting at the stop Wednesday afternoon, shortly before the contents of the suitcase were revealed. “I didn’t notice the suitcase. I just try to keep to myself at this stop.”

Kathy Ruffin, who had walked by the scene Wednesday, unaware of the soon-to-be-discovered dismembered body, said, “It smelled like a bunch of dead rats.” She continued, “My God, the stench. I thought it was dead rats — so I got moving.”

After finding the suitcase, authorities closed off 11th Street while officers scoured the area. That’s when they discovered more body parts nearby, officials said. On Thursday afternoon, investigators were again canvassing nearby streets, looking for clues and possibly more body parts, police said.

Abandoned items

The Goodwill store’s donation drop-off center is on the opposite side of the building from 11th Street, but employees Thursday said people regularly leave items at the front door near where the body parts were discovered. After the store closes, people abandon bags, clothes and other items by the door, which passersby then rifle through. One employee’s job is to clean up the mess every morning, workers said.

“It happened to be here, but it’s a police matter now,” a Goodwill spokesman, who wouldn’t comment further, said Thursday.

The bustling street is a high-traffic area with several surveillance cameras visible on either side. Homicide investigators were working to recover all of that footage, Gatpandan said. Upon discovering the body, she said, “there were people located (and) detained, however, they were released and not arrested for the crime.”

Police said they will release a description of the potential suspect “once it is available.” If the victim was indeed killed in San Francisco, the death would mark the 10th homicide of the year, after a relatively low 45 slayings in 2014.

Chronicle staff writers Jaxon Van Derbeken and Henry K. Lee contributed to this report.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky