Sorters for a conveyor belt at a recycling center in Akron made a startling discovery Thursday morning: a man’s body mixed in with the refuse.
“We have a dead body in our pre-sort area in our recycle center,” said the woman who called 911 for Greenstar Recycling Center, 1535 Exeter Road.
“Oh boy,” the dispatcher responded after a long pause.
Police were called to the scene at 7:37 a.m. The man’s identity has not been determined and it’s unclear how he ended up on the conveyer belt. Authorities suspect he might be a homeless man sleeping in a refuse bin to keep warm.
The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy. Chief Investigator Gary Guenther said the man probably died of blunt force trauma, but it’s unclear what caused the injuries.
The man is white and appears to be in his 40s or 50s.
Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 330-375-2490.
A similar incident occurred last year, when a man’s body was found in the back of a Republic Waste Services garbage truck in Fairlawn. The man, 49-year-old Brian Raber, is thought to have been sleeping in a refuse bin to escape harsh weather in February 2016. He probably was dropped into the back of a garbage truck and crushed to death. It’s unclear where Raber was picked up.
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ and on Facebook @JournoNickGlunt .