Body Found in Trash Bin Identified; Case Being Investigated as a Homicide
A body found in a recycling bin is believed to be that of a 47-year-old man from South County, police said Wednesday.
Police, who found identification in his wallet, are withholding his name until family can be notified, Santa Ana Police Sgt. Bob Clark said.
An autopsy was inconclusive in determining a cause of death, and police are continuing to investigate the case as a homicide. There was no sign of trauma, authorities said, and they estimated that the man could have been dead for a few weeks.
At 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, a passerby reported a strange odor in the parking lot of Sano Medical Center in the 1400 block of South Main Street and called police, who found the body in a city recycling bin, police said.
The bin “wasn’t where it was supposed to be,” Clark said. Detectives also are trying to locate the man’s relatives and friends to help determine where he was last seen and the location of his car, which has not been found, Clark said.
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