Body of woman found in trash can identified

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – The body of the woman found in a trash can in Fort Wayne has been identified as 19-year-old Zhanelle Link.

A person doing yard work Saturday afternoon on Eckart Street discovered the body after he went to get an extra trash can to put yard waste in.  The trash can was located behind a vacant house.  The house has been abandoned and boarded up for several months.

According to Allen County Coroner Craig Nelson, dental records were used to identify Link’s body because it was badly decomposed.  Police don’t know how long the body may have been in the trash bin, but Link’s foster mother said the woman had been missing since December.

The cause and manner of death are still pending. Part of the autopsy testing includes a toxicology report. It takes about three weeks for results to come in, Deputy Coroner Patt Kite said.