Police: Death Of Man Found In Dumpster May Have Been Accidental

For more than a month, police have been investigating the death of a man whose body was found in a dumpster and now, a clearer picture of what may have happened is emerging.

Police said Isidro Bueno put the body in a dumpster, but they aren't sure he had anything to do with the victim's death.

Since discovering the body five weeks ago, police have said little about the victim’s identity or the circumstances surrounding the death.

A search warrant obtained by Eyewitness News on Tuesday offers the beginnings of an explanation.

According to the warrant, Bueno told police that a man named Pollo shot himself in the head while in Bueno’s apartment. The document says Bueno didn’t call police, but instead dragged the man’s body out of his apartment and left it in a nearby dumpster.

Police said Bueno admitted that he tried to clean up all evidence of the death and then threw it away. Detectives said they spent hours going through the dumpster by hand, looking for evidence.

The warrant says maintenance workers were called to repair a broken water pipe and discovered that the pipe had been hit by a bullet. The workers also noticed blood on the apartment’s walls.

Neighbors Howard Caldwell and Yolanda Richard said they knew Bueno well, but don't know what to make of what happened next door.

“How can you pick a body up and throw it in the dumpster instead of calling 911 if you didn't do it?” Richard said.

Police have charged Bueno with concealing a death and also with running a prostitution operation, which could explain his reluctance to call police. However, no homicide charges have been filed. Police said they don’t believe the death was a homicide.

Previous Stories: February 7, 2010: Police Search Dumpster After Discovering Body