Updated, Monday 4pm: Police are investigating after a 45-year-old man’s body was discovered in an industrial waste bin behind a Bellerive op shop this morning.
The discovery was made when a garbage contractor lifted the lid of the bin at the rear of the Salvation Army premises on Percy Street.
“The contractor observed what he initially thought was a mannequin just laying in the bottom of the bin,” said Detective Inspector David Gill from the South East Criminal Investigations Branch.
Police have established the man was last seen alive by his children around 7pm Saturday, while the bin had last been emptied on Friday.
Police are not ruling out foul play as their investigations continue.
“The scene suggests that this could be a case of death by misadventure or alternatively foul play or possibly a combination of both,” Gill said.
The deceased was known to police and had been homeless for several months.
“He was itinerant for some time now and is known to frequent the Bellerive and Rosny area,” Gill said.
An autopsy has been scheduled for Tuesday morning to determine the cause of death, with no visible injuries observed on the body.
The area behind the op shop is known to be frequented by homeless individuals, with the bin accessible down a driveway at the rear of the business.
A crime scene was established Monday morning with forensic services attending. Police have interviewed approximately 60 people as part of their investigation.
Tasmania Police are urging anyone with information about movements in the vicinity of Percy Street between Saturday evening and Monday morning to contact Crime Stoppers.
“The same could be said for anyone driving up and down Percy Street with dashcam footage.”
Earlier: Tasmania Police have cordoned off a business on Hobart’s eastern shore after the discovery of a man’s body.
Emergency services were called to the Bellerive address around 9am on Monday after the body was “located at the rear of the property”.
Detectives and forensic specialists are currently examining the area as part of their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.
“Police have the area contained and there is no danger to the public,” a spokesperson said.
Police have not indicated whether the death is being treated as suspicious.
