Woman found dead in garbage can in Marysville, WA

Marysville police have launched a suspicious death investigation after a body was found in a garbage can Wednesday afternoon.

What we know:

Officers were called to the scene along Grove Street near 74th Street Northeast just before 5 p.m., after local Bob Stocks reported finding a body stuffed in a yard waste bin as he was wheeling his other bins back to his home.

Stocks was taking care of some household tasks before meeting with a men's group at his church that afternoon.

"You know, I went to move it out of the way," said Stocks, "It wouldn't move. I think it only moved maybe— maybe a few inches. And, I don't know. So I opened it up […] to see what was in it, and wow. What a— what a startle that was."

Stocks spoke with FOX 13 Seattle the morning after the horrifying discovery, who described backing away from his bin to catch his breath, then he immediately called 911.

Upon arrival, police found the body, belonging to a woman in her 20s, and declared her dead at the scene.

Marysville detectives spent several hours processing evidence and canvassing the area late into Wednesday night. The body has since been released to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office.

"They gave me tons of questions, you know— you know, what did I see? ‘Are you sure?’ […] apparently they wanted to make sure that I wasn't lying to them. You know what? You know, what else could I tell them? […] My goodness, like I said, it's the first time this thing ever happened to me before," said Stocks.

Marysville Death Investigation

Marysville police investigate a suspicious death on Grove Street on April 29, 2026. (FOX 13 Seattle)

What we don't know:

Authorities have not yet identified the deceased woman.

The Medical Examiner's Office will release the identity of the woman, along with her cause and manner of death at a later date. Police have not identified any suspects in the case.

"We are in the very early stages of this investigation and have a lot of work in front of us to determine what took place," the Marysville Police Department said in a press release.

"I mean, [I'd want to know] why? I mean, why would somebody be so cruel?" said Stocks.

Police are asking anyone with information or who may have seen something that seemed odd or suspicious in the area recently to contact investigators at 360-363-8378.

This remains an ongoing investigation.

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The Source: Information in this story came from a press release from the Marysville Police Department.

Crime and Public SafetyMarysvilleNewsSnohomish County