Jaclyn Elmquist case: Dad of woman found dead in NYC trash chute breaks down over 'heart-wrenching' loss

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: The heartbroken father of a young woman discovered dead in the garbage chute of an upscale Manhattan building struggled to find words as he spoke outside her apartment on Sunday, December 3, describing the tragic incident as "heart-wrenching."

Jaclyn "Jackie" Elmquist, 24, was found lifeless inside the trash chute at +Art at 540 West 28th Street in Chelsea on Friday afternoon, hours after she went missing following a work party, according to the police.

"We're currently going through Jackie's belongings," shared her devastated father, James Elmquist, from Minnesota, speaking to The New Post outside his daughter's Brooklyn apartment on Sunday afternoon.

"It's a devastating and, um, it's just an unfortunate situation. I can't really talk," he added, visibly emotional and eventually overcome by grief, rendering him unable to continue speaking.

Jaclyn Elmquist was last seen leaving a work party in Manhattan

Elmquist reportedly worked at Mission Staffing, a New York City-based employment agency. The night before her body was discovered, Elmquist attended a company party in Manhattan before she went missing for several hours.

Taking to X, her cousin Katlyn Kampmeier posted a missing flyer asking for information. 

Kampmeie's tweet read, "My cousin Jackie Elmquist has been missing since last night after she left a work party in Manhattan- she didn’t come home or show up for work this morning please spread the word so people in the area can see it since all of her family lives here in Minnesota."

However, surveillance footage from the vicinity of the building where her body was discovered reportedly shows an unsteady young woman walking down the sidewalk before entering the building.

She was visibly shaky on her feet, and at one point, she even gripped a wall for support.

Police believe Jaclyn Elmquist's death was an accident

According to the New York Post, the NYPD does not yet suspect any foul play in the death of Elmquist, which is being considered an accident.

After examining the surveillance footage, a police source reportedly told the outlet, "It hasn’t been determined if she was intoxicated but it’s a possibility."

The motive behind Elmquist entering what seems to be a random building remains unclear.

The city Medical Examiner's office is scheduled to conduct an autopsy, after which Elmquist's cause and manner of death will be officially determined.

Jaclyn Elmquist was 'friendly' but kept to herself

Upon hearing about the discovery of Elmquist's body, Davidson Stewart, the superintendent of her Brooklyn building, expressed visible distress, as reported by the New York Post.

The news came as a shock to Stewart, who mentioned that Elmquist used to be reserved but was also "friendly."

"She seemed happy. It’s sad. No mother is supposed to bury her child. That’s no good,” he said.