D.C. police discovered a body in the trunk of a car that was sitting in the department's police impound lot, having been towed 10 days ago after it was found illegally parked.

Police said someone noticed an odor emanating from the shiny sea of cars stored at the police impound lot in Northeast Washington. When workers popped open the trunk of a red Pontiac convertible Thursday morning, they got a horrible surprise.

"This has never happened before," said D.C. Police spokesman Lt. Nicholas Breul.

Detectives have not identified the body, whether it's a male or female, or how the person died, police said.

"It's tentatively a John Doe, but that could change because of the decomposition," Breul said. "They're going to have to wait for the autopsy to figure this one out."

The convertible had been abandoned on the 1000 block of 18th Street NW on July 12, and towed by Department of Public Works crews because it was parked in the morning rush-hour lane, police said. Breul did not know how long the car had been parked there. That was a Monday, which means the car could have been there over the weekend or longer, police said.

Public works crews hauled it to a temporary lot at 1725 15th St. NE. When nobody claimed the car after three days, they towed to the police impound lot at Blue Plains on July 15.

The car, which had out-of-state plates, has not been reported stolen, Breul said.

The decedent's remains have been transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for identification and autopsy.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099 or 888-919-2746. D.C. police offer a reward of $25,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to a conviction of the person wanted for any homicide in the city.

Anonymous information may be submitted to D.C. Crime Solversat 866-411-TIPS.If the information provided by the caller to the Crime Solvers Unit leads to an arrest and indictment, that caller will be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

smccabe@washingtonexaminer.com