Manitoba

Body found in McGee Street dumpster

A body was spotted inside a dumpster by a passerby on McGee Street in Winnipeg's West End on Wednesday night, say police.

Area around dumpster at McGee and Ellice Avenue was taped off, investigated overnight

A body was found Wednesday night in WInnipeg's West End. (Erin Brohman/CBC)

A body was found inside a McGee Street dumpster on Wednesday night, Winnipeg police say.

The grim discovery was made by a passerby who saw something suspicious in the bin just before 8:45 p.m. and called 911, Patrol Sgt. Andree Huberdeau said.

Police are awaiting a report from an autopsy being held Thursday before saying more about the dead person's identity or how that person might have died.

Huberdeau couldn't say how long the body may have been in the dumpster.

"We're still piecing that together," she said, adding that homicide investigators are in charge of the case.

People living in the McGee Street building said the area around the dumpster was cordoned off for some time.

"My friend came to drop something off. We were in for about an hour and then came out it was all taped off," said Scott Ballantyne.

Ballantyne, who lives in a basement suite, said he didn't hear any commotion in the building before police arrived. He said officers took the police tape down around 1 a.m.

Police locate a body near the corner of McGee Street and Ellice Avenue

8 years ago
Duration 0:23
Winnipeg police say they have located a body near the corner of McGee Street and Ellice Avenue in the city's West End. Police cadets remained on the scene Thursday morning, guarding a suite on the main floor.

He said he was not surprised when he heard rumours that a body had been found.

"I was visiting my neighbour on the second floor and she has a good view of the dumpster, and I saw the guy in the whole Tyvek suit fooling around there, pulling out garbage and everything," he said.

Police cadets remained on the scene Thursday morning, guarding a suite on the main floor.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Winnipeg Police Service's homicide unit at (204) 986-6508. 

Winnipeg police investigated this dumpster and had taped off the area around it. (CBC)