In a case that has shaken the Temple University community, a 22-year-old student at the Philadelphia school was murdered last Thursday. Jenna Burleigh’s suspected killer, 29-year-old former Temple student Joshua Hupperterz, apparently used the rideshare service, Lyft, to transport her body.
Police found Burleigh’s body at the home of Hupperterz’s grandmother, in Wayne County, Pa. The suspect was believed to have kept the victim’s body in a storage container at his mother’s house in Jenkinstown, Pa., prior to hiring a Lyft to transport her. He was arrested last Saturday on charges of murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and drug offenses.
According to the NY Daily News,
“The allegations are devastating,” Lyft said in a statement to local ABC affiliate WPVI. “We stand ready to work with the authorities in their investigation.”
The Wayne County Coroner ruled Monday that she died of blunt trauma and strangulation.
Hupperterz’s roommate said the 29-year-old former Temple student returned to their apartment at one point with cleaning supplies to get rid of blood, the news channel reported.
Police found blood and drugs inside the Philadelphia residence when they went in with a search warrant, according to WPVI.
The victim reportedly had just transferred to Temple University and commuted daily from her home in Harleysville, Pa. She was last seen leaving a bar on Thursday with Hupperterz in the early morning hours.
We need your help in finding Temple student Jenna Burleigh, who was last seen on August 31st at 2am. Please share any information. pic.twitter.com/eqRnyjcc3u
— Temple Police (@TU_Police) September 1, 2017
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