Man found dead inside trash can in South Austin: APD
Body found in trash in South Austin
A 59-year-old man was found dead in a trash can in South Austin this weekend.
AUSTIN, Texas - A 59-year-old man was found dead in a trash can in South Austin this weekend.
The Austin Police Department is investigating this death as a homicide.
The backstory:
Police said on May 30, around 12:26 p.m., officers responded to a call reporting a body found in a trash can in the 4400 block of Pack Saddle Pass.
When officers arrived, they found the victim, later identified as 59-year-old Duc Vo, with trauma. He was dead on the scene, police said.
Detectives confirmed with city employees that they were emptying a trash can when they found Vo. They said he appeared to be bloody.
Vo also showed signs of blunt force trauma.
Detectives believe Vo was assaulted and placed into the trash can on Friday, May 29, between 4–5:30 a.m.
This is being investigated as Austin's 26th homicide of the year.
What you can do:
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest.
Austinites react
Local perspective:
"It's so inhumane, who would do such a thing? It's terrible to hear it actually," said Ursula Kelleher, who owns a rental property in the nearby neighborhood.
While a murder investigation isn’t typical for the area, she says petty crime happens all too often.
"Well, it's terrible. I mean, the whole area here has gotten pretty bad over the last number of years. There's no doubt that there's a lot of homeless people around, and I am not going to blame anybody there, but there seems to be a lot of people walking around. It's definitely gotten worse over the years."
That feeling was echoed by John Williams as well, who has called the area near Pack Saddle Pass home for several decades. He believes the area has seen recent improvement but has still had to make changes in his lifestyle.
"A couple of years ago, I decided to arm myself, so I'm armed at night. And I had to get another security system. So, I have an ADT and Ring. Thousands of dollars of things that I would never have thought about before."
Other neighbors told FOX 7 that they have had to remove people that were trespassing on their property and often find syringes and other drug paraphernalia.
While the search for a suspect continues, frustrations remain to find a fix for nearby crime along Pack Saddle Pass and Western Trails.
"I love it here. I'm not moving, I'm not leaving, but it's inexcusable, really, that we've had to put up with this for so long," said John Williams.
"There seems to be a lot of at least petty crime, but now a murderer? I'm not happy about it at all," said Ursula Kelleher.
The Source: Information from the Austin Police Department and interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Marco Bitonel