Man, woman found dead inside parked RV in Philadelphia; death investigation underway

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Two people were found dead inside an RV in Philadelphia's West Kensington neighborhood early Saturday morning.

It happened on the 2400 block of North Phillip Street at approximately 2 a.m.

Police and emergency crews were called for reports of a foul smell coming from a Coachmen Motor Home that was parked on the sidewalk.

"There was some concern of an odor coming from that area as well as, visibly, some body fluids," said Inspector DF Pace with Philadelphia police.

One neighbor who asked to remain anonymous said she knew something was wrong when she got out of her car and noticed the foul smell.

"We was here yesterday - last night - and we was smelling and it just smelled very, very bad," she said.

At the scene, authorities went into the RV and said a man and woman were found dead inside.

Police say the man was found on a bed, while the woman was found near the doorway.

Action News spoke with the family of one of the victims, who said the pair were a couple and two good people.

Javier Sanchez said his brother, 46-year-old Roberto Sanchez, was the male victim found in the RV.

"He was just a great person," Javier said.

Javier also said the female victim was Roberto's longtime girlfriend. Her identity has not yet been made public.

According to his family, Roberto struggled with addiction and had been living in the RV with his 34-year-old girlfriend for at least a year.

"He came from a great family. He was a hard worker, a great dad, and he struggled every single day," Javier said.

Investigators say they are looking into the couple's deaths as suspicious.

A cause of death has not been released, but experts said the bodies may have been in the RV for days.

Authorities also said they have not ruled out any connections to drugs in this case.

"We have a strong belief that the deaths were the result of a narcotics overdose, but this is all pending final determinations by the medical examiner's office," Pace explained.

As an investigation gets underway, Roberto's family created a small memorial for him outside the scene.

Javier said he was thankful that he recently saw his brother a week ago.

"I feel great about that-that I was able to hug him one last time. That's my little brother-my heart," Javier explained.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the police.