Police in Philadelphia are seeking the culprit behind the apparent murder of a 12-year-old boy whose body was found in a dumpster in August.
Hezekiah Bernard was identified as the 12-year-old victim found in a dumpster on city Housing Authority property, head of the police department’s homicide unit, Staff Inspector Ernest Ransom, announced Thursday, according to ABC News. Bernard’s body was found by a sanitation worker after the plastic trash container containing his body overturned in his truck while he was returning the bin to its location on Aug. 23. (RELATED: Philadelphia Readies Curfew To Protect Children From Violent Crime Surge)
12 year old Hezekiah “Hazzy” Bernard, identified by @PhillyPolice found shot in head, body wrapped & left in trash dumpster Wednesday morning August 23rd. pic.twitter.com/9zu6aQ2RnB
— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) August 31, 2023
“During the drive, the container overturned and the remains of a male were observed inside that container with a plastic wrap around the head and with a comforter over him,” Ransom stated, according to the outlet.
An autopsy conducted on the child on Aug. 24 revealed he had sustained a gunshot wound to the right side of his head and had most likely died 24-36 hours before he was found, ABC News reported.
The boy was not positively identified until members of his family contacted police after learning law enforcement officials were passing out flyers describing a child that matched Bernard’s description. Ransom declined to say whether a missing person’s report had been filed on Bernard, telling reporters it was “part of the investigation.”
“We need the help of the public to identify the offenders in this investigation. The focus of this investigation is the swift apprehension of those involved in this senseless death,” Ransom stated, according to ABC News.