A bicyclist out for an early-morning ride in the Arizona desert on Saturday made a grisly discovery off the side of the road: a suitcase stuffed with a woman’s remains.
That woman, since identified as 39-year-old Jennifer Beede, is now being remembered by loved ones on social media as a “great friend” who was “truly the best.”
Few details surrounding Beede’s disappearance and death have been released by Arizona authorities, but police have confirmed it’s being investigated as a homicide.
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Beede’s body was found by the bicyclist around 6:45 a.m. in Carefree, Arizona, about 35 miles north of Phoenix. In addition to calling 911, the bicyclist who discovered the remains posted on the social media site Nextdoor about her chilling encounter, which happened as she was riding on a rural gravel road.
“I came across a suitcase in the middle of the desert that appeared to be nothing more than a piece of trash, and I decided to take a closer look at it,” the woman wrote, according to Fox 3. “...I observed that it had a head. It was damp, and I thought I saw a leg or a knee or something sticking out of the ground.”
Police arrived and confirmed the worst—there was a body in the suitcase—later identifying the slain woman as Beede.
Authorities have not named a potential suspect or motive behind the 39-year-old’s killing. It is not known how long Beede’s body was abandoned off the side of the road.
Friends of Beede, who lived in Phoenix and went by “Jay” on Facebook, posted tributes to her on Sunday after police released her name.
After calling her a great friend and his homegirl, Rogelio Contreras wrote in a post that he “would’ve never thought I’d have to say goodbye to u like this.”
Under a second post by Contreras, filled with pictures of Beede smiling on a boat, another friend commented that “her smile makes me smile.”
“She truly was the best,” wrote Amanda Raelynn McDowell. “I wish I still had all my pics of her and me. Life won’t be the same knowing she isn’t a call away.”
