Body found wrapped in carpet in alley ID’d as missing Fort Wayne teen

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) The victim found dead wrapped in a carpet padding in an alley on Fort Wayne’s southeast side was a teenager from the area.

The Allen County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday said it was 17-year-old Marcie Lynn Ward who was found in an alley along the 3300 block of Wayne Trace Avenue around 9:50 a.m. Saturday morning. Paramedics at the scene pronounced her dead at approximately 10:30 a.m.

It’s not clear yet, though, how Ward died. The coroner’s office said the cause and manner of her death are still pending.

Ward was reported to the Indiana Missing Children Bulletin by the Fort Wayne Police Department on Oct. 26, records show.

Fort Wayne Police said earlier this week that investigators did not know how long Ward’s body had been in the alley and wrapped in the carpet. Police had been canvassing the area, looking for witnesses or someone who may have known the girl.

The death remains under investigation by the Fort Wayne Police Department, the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Allen County Coroner’s Office.