Dead body of mother of 3 found stuffed inside luggage bag in Las Vegas, police say

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police are asking for help from the public in their investigation into the "suspicious" death of a mother of three.

Police said they were called to an apartment complex near the intersection of Spencer Street and East Reno Avenue on Thursday near the Harry Reid International Airport at about 4:19 a.m. over the report of a dead body.

'It's a very morbid crime. Was she dropped off there? Was it done near here? It's very gruesome.'

When they arrived, they found the remains of a woman inside of a luggage bag. Emergency medical personnel responded but confirmed the woman was dead at the scene.

The homicide division took over the investigation because of the suspicious nature of the death. The Clark County Coroner later identified the woman as 46-year-old Kristen Avelar.

One resident described to KLAS-TV seeing the police response in the neighborhood.

"Unfortunately when I was going back to work, I realized the white tents were up. And typically that's just a sign of something a little bit more serious, so I figured there was a body," she said. "It's a very morbid crime. Was she dropped off there? Was it done near here? It's very gruesome."

She went on to say the area is usually quiet.

"I love this neighborhood, it's really a tranquil street, so it was a little alarming that something like this should hit very close to home," said one neighbor.

A former neighbor told KLAS that Avelar and her husband had owned a trucking company that had gone out of business. The neighbor also said Avelar was the mother to three children.

Video of the crime scene can be viewed on the KLAS news report on YouTube.

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