Body Found in Burning Trashcan in Northeast D.C.

A body was found in a burning trashcan in northeast D.C. Tuesday morning.

Police said the body was found behind a vacant home in the 1200 block of Holbrook Terrace NE in Trinidad.

A neighbor told News4's Zachary Kiesch that when she took her trash out at 5:30 a.m., she noticed the trashcan was on fire. Firefighters discovered the body in a large green trashcan after extinguishing the flames.

The victim was burned beyond recognition, and was taken to the medical examiner's office. Homicide detectives are investigating the case.

“To throw someone away like a dog like that is messed up,” another neighbor said.

Trinidad was once among the most violent neighborhoods in the city, but has improved in recent years, News4’s Pat Collins reported. Some residents are worried this incident, paired with a shooting nearby last week, is an indication of a return to more dangerous times.

“It’s just going to show that the crime is not really stopping,” said the woman who alerted authorities to the burning trash can.

The abandoned property on which the trash can and body were found was once set to become luxury condominiums, but the project never came to fruition. The property has become a problem spot in the neighborhood, residents said.