A body found in a trash can in a West Philadelphia park on January 30, 2025, was identified as 54-year-old Deborah Leatherberry of Southwest Philadelphia. Philadelphia Police and medics responded to the 700 block of North 47th Street that morning; medics pronounced her dead at the scene. The cause of death was later determined to be a gunshot wound to the head.

Investigators moved quickly and identified a suspect. On February 26, 2025, SEPTA Transit Police arrested 61-year-old Ricardo Ponds in Center City at 15th and Market streets. Ponds was charged with Leatherberry’s murder and with firearm violations, conspiracy, abuse of a corpse, and evidence tampering, and was being held without bail. No motive has been released and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for March 17, 2025.

Does anyone in West or Southwest Philadelphia remember seeing Deborah in late January or have information about her contacts around that time?