Body Found in Dumpster by Sanitation Workers

The body of an unidentified man was found by sanitation workers Wednesday in a dumpster at a shopping center parking lot, authorities said.

The body was described as that of an African American teenager who appeared to have been clubbed on the head, said Debra Glafkides, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman. Authorities believe the body had been in the trash bin for several hours.

The body was found about 9:30 a.m. at the shopping center in the 26500 block of Agoura Road, Lt. Joe Brown said. The cause of death had not been determined but the case appeared to be a homicide, Brown said.

The dumpster where the body was found was in an enclosed trash area behind the California KwikMart, said Eli Adrabi, who has owned the store for 10 years.

After sanitation workers emptied the trash bin into their truck, they noticed the dumpster had blood in it, Glafkides said. They looked into the trash truck and discovered the body, Glafkides said.

However, Adrabi said the trash collectors “heard a thump” as they emptied one of the dumpsters, prompting them to look into the truck and find the body.

“They heard a thump and usually we only have boxes,” he said.

The convenience store is open 24 hours a day and only one of the employees was there Tuesday night, according to Adrabi.

On Wednesday morning, a shopping center janitor told the KwikMart employee there was blood leading away from the store’s back door to the trash area, Adrabi said. The employee, however, had noticed nothing unusual during the night, Adrabi said.

The shopping center--about 200 yards from the Ventura Freeway at the Las Virgenes Road exit--is busy but the area is usually quiet, neighbors said.

“They’re all basically shocked,” Adrabi said. “We’re supposed to be in a good area.”

Cardenas is a Times staff writer and Vitucci a correspondent.