Police are working to identify the woman and determine how the bin reached Grove Street.
MARYSVILLE, WA — A man found a young woman’s body inside a yard waste bin outside a Marysville apartment complex Wednesday evening, prompting police to open a death investigation that detectives are treating as a possible homicide.
Marysville police said officers were called just before 5 p.m. to the 5700 block of Grove Street after a resident reported finding a person down inside a green waste bin. The woman appeared to be in her 20s, but she had not been publicly identified by Thursday as investigators waited for work by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. Police said the case remained active, with detectives trying to learn who the woman was, how she died and when the bin was placed near the apartment complex.
Bob Stocks, who lives at the complex, said he noticed the yard waste bin on the sidewalk while moving bins back after regular pickup. Stocks said the bin did not appear to belong to the complex and felt too heavy when he tried to move it. “I went to push it back out of the way so I can put our bins back, and the bin was pretty heavy,” Stocks said. When he opened it, he said, he saw a body and called 911. Stocks said the discovery left him shaking and stunned.
Officers arrived and confirmed the woman was dead at the scene. Police said she was partially covered by a blanket. Marysville Police Cmdr. Robb Lamoureux said the woman was unclothed from the waist down and was wearing a T-shirt. He said investigators had not found obvious identifying marks, such as tattoos, that could quickly help determine her name. Lamoureux also said police did not see clear signs of trauma at the scene, but the medical examiner would determine the cause and manner of death.
The investigation centered on Grove Street near 74th Street Northeast, a residential area with apartment buildings, sidewalks and regular curbside waste service. Detectives spent several hours Wednesday night processing the scene, collecting evidence and canvassing the area. Police also began working with waste management officials to narrow the timeline. Investigators are trying to determine whether the bin was placed there before or after Wednesday morning’s scheduled pickup. Stocks said he believed the bin may have appeared after the morning collection, but police had not confirmed that timeline.
The case moved from an initial suspicious death response into a broader homicide investigation as police reviewed the scene and the circumstances of the discovery. No arrest had been announced by Thursday, and police had not named a suspect. The woman’s body was released to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office, which is responsible for confirming identity, notifying next of kin and ruling on the cause and manner of death. Those findings could shape the next steps for detectives, including search warrants, evidence testing and any criminal referral to prosecutors.
Neighbors described the discovery as deeply unsettling in a normally quiet part of the city. Stocks said he had been doing routine chores before leaving for a church men’s group when he noticed the bin. He said the weight of it caught his attention first. “It wouldn’t move,” he said. After he opened it and realized what was inside, he stepped back and called for help. Lamoureux called the case shocking and said detectives were focused on identifying the woman and learning how her body ended up in the bin.
Police said the investigation remained open Thursday, with the next major update expected after the medical examiner identifies the woman and completes further findings. Detectives were also reviewing the waste pickup timeline and any evidence from the Grove Street area.
Author note: Last updated May 1, 2026.