Remains of woman found

death is ruled a homicide

An autopsy on the skeletal remains of an unidentified woman found inside an abandoned West Baltimore building last week has determined that the death was a homicide - the result of a blow to the head, city police said yesterday.

Officers responding to the 1500 block of Warwick Ave. on Dec. 30 found the upper half of the skeleton in a chair and the remaining bones scattered nearby, apparently by animals, police said.

The autopsy indicated that the victim was African-American, in her 20s and about 5 feet 2 inches tall, and police said they were checking missing person reports in hopes of identifying her.