Police identify woman found in trash bin

YORK – A woman whose body was found in a trash container was identified by police Friday as a Worcester, Mass., resident who was reported missing Sept. 1.

Wendy Morello, 42, was identified through fingerprints Friday by Maine medical examiners, police said.

At a news conference in the Maine town of about 12,000, state police Lt. Brian McDonough and York police Chief Douglas Bracy said Morello was reported missing by her family to Worcester police Sept. 1.

An autopsy has been performed, but police did not disclose the cause of Morello’s death. An investigation continues and police plan to talk to Morello’s friends and relatives in an effort to find out what led her to Maine, police said.

Morello’s body was found Monday in a plastic trash container in a wooded area near the York River by a man who was walking by.

Five detectives from the state and local police have been in Massachusetts working with Worcester police since Thursday, authorities said.

Police were unable to track Morello’s movements or interview people who may have known her until they identified her.

Even after finding the name “Morello” on the woman’s dentures, police sought help from the public in positively identifying her. Police said Morello also had a tattoo of a blue rose on her ankle.