HARTFORD — A 34-year-old woman likely was sleeping in a dumpster in the Upper Valley when she suffered an accidental death, which led to her body being unknowingly transported to the trash hauling company’s unloading facility, where the remains of Jessica-Jo Morehouse was discovered earlier this week, according to Hartford police and Vermont court records.
Morehouse, who court documents listed as without a home, was positively identified by police as the woman whose body was discovered by workers at the Casella Waste Systems processing center on Route 4 in White River Junction, Hartford police said in a news release Friday afternoon.
“Preliminary autopsy results indicate that this is likely an accidental death,” and investigators have determined that “Morehouse was more than likely sleeping in a dumpster,” according to the news release.
Morehouse in recent years had resided variously at Shady Lawn Hotel, The Haven shelter and in a tent in White River Junction, according to court records in Vermont, where she most recently was facing a misdemeanor charge in Windsor County of possession of heroin.
Where or when Morehouse came to occupy the receptacle is not clear, but police said they think Morehouse’s body had been transported early Tuesday morning in a dumpster bin to Casella’s facility, where it was discovered by workers around 9:20 a.m. during unloading.
Hartford police had tentatively identified Morehouse’s body earlier in the week but said they held off publicly announcing her identity pending notification of next of kin. Morehouse has family in New York state, according to a Facebook profile in her name.
Vermont court records show that Morehouse was a plaintiff in a divorce action in 2016. The case docket shows that the couple were parents to three minors.
At the time of her death, Morehouse was wanted on an arrest warrant for violating probation stemming from a guilty plea on possession of a controlled drug and theft by unauthorized taking in Grafton Superior Court, according to New Hampshire court records.
Police said that Casella picks up large bins from numerous businesses in the area and investigators are still in the process of determining from which location the bin containing Morehouse’s body had been transported.
Police do not yet know the cause of death but have said there is no risk to the community.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Hartford Police Department at 802-295-9425.
Conact John Lippman at jlippman@vnews.com.
