Mystery over body found in ‘back of car’ by airport as vehicle ‘left abandoned for months’ with council notice stuck on

A COUNCIL parking notice was put on a car abandoned near Gatwick Airport - weeks before a dead body was found “on the backseat”, it is claimed.
The abandoned white BMW could’ve been left on an industrial estate in Crawley, Sussex, for months before the grim discovery was made yesterday.
Locals claim the car had been parked up in the same spot since October last year - and say they’d reported it to Crawley Borough Council (CBC) multiple times.
Forensic officers were pictured on Friday at the scene on Whittle Way in Northgate - just over a mile from the airport - with a cordon having been erected.
A warning notice, issued by CBC on May 19, notes the car is “untaxed” and informs the owner it will be towed unless it is removed within seven days.
However, going by the Government's online vehicle tax checker, it is in fact taxed until January 1 2026 and its MOT is valid until November 25 this year.
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It’s understood a recovery driver who came out to collect the car on Friday (June 6), alerted police to a possible body being inside.
Officers then descended on the scene, near a postal depot, at around 10.30am.
It’s unclear how long the remains had been inside - though locals say the vehicle - which was covered in dust - had been at the spot since at least last October.
Sussex Police said on Saturday the death is not currently being treated as suspicious, with a report to be prepared by the coroner.
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The identity of the body has not yet been established.
Speaking in a local Facebook group, one person said: “I reported it about four months ago but the council only put stickers on it - but it has been there for eight months now.”
Another person agreed: “Been there since before Christmas.”
One person described how a recovery man allegedly “saw a man on the back seats, with a blanket over the front two seats to build a ‘barrier’ across as he was lying on the backseat - most likely was sleeping in the back”.
Another added: "A recovery driver came this morning and smashed the back window to take the motor.
"As he did that he noticed the dead body on the back seats."
A force spokesman previously said: "Police were called to Whittle Way in Northgate, Crawley, at around 10.30am on Friday, 6 June, to reports of a body found in a vehicle.
"Enquiries are ongoing to identify the individual and establish the full circumstances of the situation."
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The Sun has approached the council for comment.
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