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A man's body - from which a lung and the heart and liver had been neatly extracted - was found in an abandoned North Philadelphia rowhouse yesterday afternoon by a man who had been foraging for scrap metal.
Investigators last night were trying to determine the man's identity, as well as answers to a host of other questions, including the cause of death and whether they were dealing with a case of abuse of corpse or murder.
The eviscerated body of a man found Friday was tentatively identified yesterday by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office. The man's identity was being withheld pending notification of his family. An autopsy was to be completed today, said Jeff Moran, spokesman for the medical examiner.
The body of the man - described as black, 5-foot-7 and about 30 to 40 years old - was found in an abandoned rowhouse in North Philadelphia. He had been sliced from his neck to the base of his stomach. His heart, liver, and one of his lungs had been neatly removed. A rope was found around his neck and his face was frozen, police said.
Police believe he had been dead for one or two days. They were unsure whether he died at the scene or had been dumped there. Anyone with information is asked to call the city's homicide division at 215-686-3334.
Investigators probing the mysterious death and mutilation of Willie J. "Pete" Kent are leaning toward the theory that Kent's dissected corpse may have been dumped in the abandoned North Philadelphia rowhouse where it was discovered last Friday.
Authorities also believe it is unlikely that Kent, 60, died from the rope found around his neck, and consider suicide to be the least likely scenario.
Authorities also believe it is unlikely that Kent, 60, died from the rope found around his neck, and consider suicide to be the least likely scenario.
THREE weeks ago, the frozen body of William "Pete" Kent was found in an abandoned house in North Philadelphia.
It was no ordinary death.
Kent's throat had been slashed and a rope was around his neck. His chest cavity had been opened up. Some ribs had been removed. And Kent's heart, liver and kidney, in addition to part of his esophagus, had been crudely cut out.
His clothes were still on.
At first, police weren't sure what they had.
They still aren't sure.
Investigators now say they have pretty much run down all of the usual leads and are turning to Dawn Perlmutter, a expert in occult murders, for help in the case.
"She is a specialist in crime scenes dealing with the occult and cults in general. That certainly is an avenue that we're pursuing, although we're not ready to say that this is what happened," said Lt. Joseph I. Maum, the lead investigator on the case.