Dismembered body ID'd as missing woman

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BETHANY, Okla., Oct. 18 (UPI) -- A dismembered body found in a duffel bag behind a grocery store in Bethany, Okla., has been identified as that of a missing woman, police said.

Investigators have not yet determined how Carina B. Saunders, 19, died, The Oklahoman reported. But her death is being treated as a homicide.

The body was discovered Thursday by animal welfare officers checking for feral cats behind a Homeland market. Bethany Police Chief Phil Cole, who released the identity Monday night said Saunders' dental records matched those of the corpse.

A cousin, Kathryn Jo Bloodworth, 22, said Saunders stayed at her home in Oklahoma City for about a week, leaving Sept. 28. Bloodworth said she asked Saunders to go because she had been getting threatening text messages.

Cole said the body may have been dumped behind the supermarket in Bethany, about 20 miles west of Oklahoma City, and Saunders killed elsewhere. He said there were reports she was seen alive in Oklahoma City on Oct. 8 or 9.

Marjie Grace Queen, 41, Saunders' mother, reported to police Sept. 28 she did not know where her daughter was. She told an Oklahoma City police officer she was afraid her daughter had come to harm.