Foul Smell Leads to the Discovery of Missing Elderly Man Stuffed Inside Trash Can Behind His Home

A foul smell has led to the discovery of a missing elderly man who was discovered stuffed inside a trash can behind his home. According to police, the victim had been missing for months.

Police were called on Saturday, May 14, after neighbors on Gable Street, Detroit, claimed to notice a foul odor.

On May 17, the body of Walter Dansby, 76, was found wrapped in a blanket in a trash can behind his house, said Detroit Police Chief Marlon Wilson.

He told Fox2: “A neighbor in the area smelled an off odor he went to investigate, called us and we did, unfortunately, find a victim wrapped in a blanket in the large container in the rear of the location.

“Right now, we are asking the community to provide us with any information the smallest bit of information they might think won’t help could lead to something bigger.”

The cause of Dansby’s death is unknown; police told the network. Before he was killed, the victim was placed in the trash can, authorities believe.

Detroit saw 309 homicides in the city last year, according to The Associated Press. This was a slight increase from 2020, when 323 people were slain.

In January, a missing person’s report was filed with the Detroit Police Department, said the family who spoke with Fox 2.

According to the network, after searching the home that month, officers could not locate the missing man.

Police stated Dansby had health issues and had been missing since late January, police said in a missing person’s release in March.

Dansby regularly sat on his porch, and one day he was not there anymore, neighbors told Fox 2.