Woman's body discovered at park

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (WSVN) -- Police are investigating the discovery of a female body at a South Florida park.

According to police, two hikers were walking through a trail at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek Thursday afternoon, when they discovered the decomposing body.

The hikers then called police. Coconut Creek Police, along with Coral Springs Police, responded to the scene and identified what they have called a badly decomposed body of a female. "We got a call from two hikers that were in the woods. They found a badly decomposed body of a person, and we responded back there, and that's what we have," said Coconut Creek Police Chief Michael Mann.

The news was shocking to those who frequently come to the park. "No one has never seen anything, talked about anything, and to know that it's been out there for so long, it's kind of freaky," said Jason Kryshka.

It is unknown if the body that was found has any connection to Maria Claudia Murphy, a woman who has been missing since March.

Murphy was last seen in the area of Coral Springs, two miles away from Tradewinds Park. She parked her car nearby and then walked away.

An ATM camera captured Murphy making a deposit back in March the last day she was seen. She was also captured on several bus surveillance cameras and has not been seen since.

Police are investigating if the body has a possible connection. "We are looking into all those possibilities at this time," said Mann.

Many who are familiar with the Murphy case said if it turns out to be Murphy, at least the family will have some type of closure. "If it is her, then at least her family knows what happened. It's horrible," said Devri Gonzalez.

The body was taken to the Medical Examiner's Office for further investigation.

The body was clothed, but police found no identification. Police also said the body may have been out there for some time.

If you have seen Murphy, call Coral Springs Police at 954-344-1800.

(Copyright 2012 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)