Police investigate woman's death in Mission Hill
By Maria Cramer and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff
More than 20 police officers, including Commissioner Edward F. Davis, descended on a red-brick apartment complex in Mission Hill today after a woman in her 20s was found dead, police said.
It appears that the woman was shot to death, police said.
At least one neighbor heard what sounded like shots at around midnight but did not alert authorities, police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said.
A building manager found the woman's body just before 7 a.m. and called 911, said Deputy Superintendent Thomas Lee, who runs the police's criminal investigation division. The crime scene was in the apartment, Lee said.
Police used a gun-sniffing dog to search near parked cars. A line of officers searched the parking lot and a grassy hill near the Parker Hill Apartments, which includes two four-story buildings with a sweeping view of downtown.
The entire apartment complex was cordoned off by police. A blue Mini Cooper with a Northeastern University 2007 parking sticker was towed from the scene. It was not clear whether the car was connected to the victim, but yellow police tape had been strung around the car before it was taken away.
Investigators working to confirm the identity of the victim are trying to determine whether she was a student at Northeastern University, Lee said.
The Parker Hill Apartments are home to a mix of families and students from nearby colleges, said City Councilor Michael Ross, who lives not far from the complex.
"There isn't any sort of rampaging violence whatsoever in Mission Hill," Ross said. "It's an extremely safe neighborhood."
Reza Basthar moved into the apartment complex two weeks ago and said he was asked this morning by police whether he saw or heard anything. He said he did not hear anything unusual.
"I'm a little bit scared right now," Basthar said as he walked to work at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
