Woman found dead in North Las Vegas dumpster

Josephine Butler

Woman found dead in North Las Vegas dumpster

A woman was found dead in a dumpster in North Las Vegas, near Craig Road and Las Vegas Blvd and so far no arrests have been made and few details have been released.

The woman, Josephine Butler, 28, had a troubled past for the past few years.

Since the latter part of 2010, up until her death last week, Josephine Butler, referred to by her family as Josy, was arrested at least 5 times for offenses such as forgery,  possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, battery, robbery and theft and her family is seeking answers as to what happened to her that resulted in her death.

Butler, the mother of a 7 year old daughter, was found stuffed into a duffel bag by an employee of one of the business located in the area last Tuesday at approximately 11am,  and officially identified by the coroner’s officer on Friday.

Her brother Eric Newman readily acknowledges Josy’s drug use and says that she may have fallen in with a bad crowd but disputed preliminary speculations that her death may have resulted from a drug overdose.  He said,

I know for a fact and everybody that knows her knows that she doesn’t do those kinds of drugs.

According to the victims mother, Josephine Butler actually went missing 2 days before her body was discovered. Butler apparentely called home every night to say good night to her daughter and when she did not call for 2 consecutive nights, her family filed a missing persons report.

She was reportedly last seen at the Longhorn Casino on Sunday night.

Eric Newman also said, according to Fox 5 Vegas,

She was such a beautiful person, she was just so happy and bubbly and just very animated. I don’t know how anybody could do that, I don’t understand how they could do that to somebody.

The family has set up the Josephine Lynn Butler Memorial Fund and donations can be made at any Bank of America location.

If you have any information on Butler’s death you are urged to call Metro’s Homicide Section at 702-828-3521 or Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555. You can also visit crime stoppers online to report information anonymously at www.crimestoppersofnv.com/.

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