Authorities say police activity outside a Coopersburg bank Saturday was in response to the discovery of a body in a dumpster.
According to a news release from Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio, the body of 39-year-old Lucrecia E. Jadan Sumba of Elizabeth, Union County, was found Saturday in the 200 block of S. Third Street, which is the name of Rt. 309 in the borough. In reporting by Channel 69 News, the business was identified as the Santander Bank branch at the corner of Charles Street and Rt. 309.
Buglio said Jadan Sumba was pronounced dead shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday. An autopsy conducted by his office Monday determined her cause of death to be sharp force injuries, and Buglio said her manner of death has been ruled a homicide.
Along with the Lehigh County coroner, the Elizabeth Police Department and the Union County Prosecutor’s office are investigating the case, the release said. The Lehigh County District Attorney’s office and Coopersburg Police Department provided assistance at the scene.
According to a GoFundMe page established to raise money for her family, Jadan Sumba was a mother of four who had immigrated to the U.S. from Ecuador in 2021 and worked at a nail salon.
“Lucrecia Elizabeth has been known to be a hardworking lovely and caring mother, a great coworker, very responsible and always bringing a smile to all around her,” a page description read. “She was also known as ‘La Tia’ in her workplace, where not only her coworkers would call her that but also her clients when referring to her in a lovely way.”
As of Monday afternoon, nearly $12,000 had been raised to help pay for Jadan Sumba’s funeral in Ecuador and other expenses.
Lucrecia E. Jadan Sumba’s body was found in a dumpster behind the Santander bank branch on Rt. 309 in Coopersburg, Lehigh County, according to authorities and local media reports.
A dumpster is visible in the parking lot of the Santander bank branch in Coopersburg on Monday afternoon. The body of a 39-year-old New Jersey woman was found in a dumpster near the bank over the weekend.
