Investigators are working to identify the woman and determine how the bin reached Grove Street.
MARYSVILLE, Wash. — Marysville police are investigating a suspicious death after a young woman’s body was found Wednesday afternoon inside a yard waste bin near an apartment complex on Grove Street, authorities said.
The woman had not been publicly identified as of Friday, and police said the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine her name, cause of death and manner of death. The case drew detectives to a residential area in the 5700 block of Grove Street, where officers said a resident found the body while moving bins after a regular waste pickup. Police have not named a suspect or said how long the woman may have been inside the container.
Officers were called just before 5 p.m. Wednesday after a resident reported a person down, police said. When officers arrived, they found the woman dead inside the yard waste bin and called detectives to the scene. Police said the woman appeared to be in her 20s. Investigators said she was partially covered by a blanket and was wearing a T-shirt. Marysville Police Commander Robb Lamoureux said detectives did not see clear signs of trauma at the scene, but he said the medical examiner would make the official findings. “At this point, we don’t have any signs of trauma,” Lamoureux said.
The resident who found the body, Bob Stocks, said he noticed a green yard waste bin on the sidewalk that did not appear to belong to his apartment complex. Stocks said he was moving bins back after the morning collection when one container felt unusually heavy. He said he opened it and saw the body. “I was literally shaking like a leaf,” Stocks said. “Very disturbing.” Stocks said he stepped back, gathered himself and called 911. Police questioned him and others as detectives began checking the area for clues.
Lamoureux said the woman had no visible tattoos or obvious marks that helped police identify her at the scene. He said investigators were trying to learn who owned the bin, when it arrived and whether it had been placed there before or after the scheduled trash pickup Wednesday morning. Stocks said he believed the bin may have arrived after pickup, but police have not confirmed a timeline. Officers and detectives spent several hours processing evidence and canvassing the neighborhood. The body was later released to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy and formal identification.
The discovery left neighbors on edge in a part of Marysville lined with apartments, homes and local streets near 74th Street Northeast. Police said the case remained in its early stages and that detectives still had “a lot of work” to determine what happened. Investigators have been working with waste management officials to narrow the timeline for the bin and reviewing whether the container was tied to the regular collection route. Police also asked people nearby to check surveillance cameras for unusual activity involving the yard waste bin on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Officials have been careful not to release details before the medical examiner’s work is complete. The case has been described as a suspicious death investigation, and police have not released a cause of death. No arrests had been announced Friday. Lamoureux said identifying the woman is a key step because it could help detectives learn where she was last seen, who knew her and how she came to be in the bin. “The sooner that we identify the body, that gives us a more definitive jumping-off point for the investigation,” Lamoureux said.
The case has drawn attention across Snohomish County because of the unusual place where the woman was found and the lack of public answers about her identity. Stocks said the moment stayed with him after police left the area. He said he had been doing normal chores before heading to a church men’s group when he came across the bin. “I mean, who would want to do something like this?” Stocks said. Police said residents who saw something unusual in the area can provide information to investigators, but officials have not said whether any specific witness account has changed the direction of the case.
The investigation remained active Friday, with the woman still publicly unidentified and no suspect named. The next major update is expected from the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office, which will determine her identity and how she died.
Author note: Last updated May 1, 2026.