Woman’s charred body found in Balqa; police investigating

AMMAN — Police on Tuesday said they were trying to identify a woman whose charred body was found dumped near a stream in Balqa Governorate, some 35km northwest of Amman, a day earlier.

The unidentified victim was found by passersby in Wadi Shuaib, who immediately alerted the authorities, a senior official source said.

A gallon of gasoline was found next to the victim’s body, along with the remains of a red shirt, said Director of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine Kais Koussous.

Koussous told The Jordan Times the body was soaked with gasoline and was badly burnt “so we could not immediately establish the cause of death”.

The forensic expert said an autopsy was performed on Tuesday and blood and tissue samples were sent to the crime lab for further analysis.

“We estimated the victim to be in her 20s, and we found no traces of gunshots or stab wounds on her body because it was badly burnt,” Koussous added.

He said he was hopeful that crime lab results will provide more information about the circumstances of her death.

Public Security Department Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said the case is being investigated.

“We are reviewing our missing persons’ files and studying the crime scene for clues that could help us identify the woman,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

Salt Criminal Court Prosecutor Amer Qudah is handling the investigations, the senior official source told The Jordan Times.