TAMPA, Fla. — A homicide is under investigation in New Tampa after police said a mother was found dead next to a vehicle with a sleeping toddler inside.
TPD said officers were called to the 10700 block of Pictorial Park Dr. inside of the Easton Park subdivision around 10 p.m. There, they found the victim dead from upper body trauma next to a Ford EcoSport SUV.
Inside the SUV, police said they found a sleeping toddler, under the age of two, in a car seat. He was not injured, police said, and is now in the care of a relative.
Police said the victim, a woman in her 20s, did not appear to live in the neighborhood where she was found. TPD said the victim was discovered by someone walking in the area.
"This is a complete tragedy," Crystal Clark, Dir. of Communications for Tampa Police, said. "We have a child who is very young, under the age of two, who's now going to grow up without a mother because of this incident. The best thing we can do for this family right now is find a way to provide them with some sort of justice — and that requires people to come forward."
Detectives are asking anyone with information to contact TPD at 813-231-6130 or share a tip through TIP411, accessible through the TampaPD app.
