A 12-year-old boy has been found dead in a dumpster with a gunshot wound to the head near a public housing unit in West Philadelphia.
Hizekiah Bernard, known to friends and family as “Hezzy,” was identified Thursday by the Philadelphia Police Department’s homicide unit.
His death was ruled a homicide, according to Staff Inspector Ernest Ransom and chief of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Division.
The gruesome discovery was made on Aug. 23, the day after a city housing authority sanitation worker collected items from the dumpster on Cherry Street and 55th Street near the Haddington Homes in the Philadelphia borough.
The boy was found in a closed plastic dumpster. He had plastic wrap around his head and a duvet over him, Ransom said: ABC news reported.
Hezekiah Bernard, 12, affectionately referred to as “Hezzy” by friends and family, was identified Thursday by the Philadelphia Police Department’s homicide unit
The gruesome discovery was made on Aug. 23, the day after a city housing authority sanitation worker collected items from the dumpster on Cherry Street and 55th Street near the Haddington Homes in the Philadelphia borough.
At a news conference Thursday, Ramos said investigators believed the boy was dead between 24 and 36 hours before he was discovered, The Philadelphia Inqurier reported.
A search is underway for any suspects in the case.
An autopsy on Aug. 24 revealed that the child had a gunshot wound to the right side of his head, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office said.
At a news conference Thursday, Ramos said investigators believed the boy was dead between 24 and 36 hours before he was discovered. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
He also said the boy had not been reported missing.
At the time of his death, the boy was in the custody of the Department of Human Services.
Ransom said the plastic container first picked up on Aug. 22 was in the sanitation worker’s truck overnight at the Housing Authority facility at the 5000 block of Haverford Avenue.
The next day, as the driver drove back to the housing complex to pick up more rubbish, “the plastic container that had been in the truck the day before fell over and the remains of a man were seen in that container.” he said. said in part.
After the disturbing discovery, the sanitation worker immediately contacted the police.
Ransom said it is not clear why the boy was killed, where the crime was committed and by whom.
“We feel that a sense of justice should be served,” he told the press.
Detectives had distributed flyers in the housing unit and in the West Philly neighborhood.
The boy was not positively identified until Tuesday, nearly a week after his remains were discovered, by relatives who contacted the medical board and were able to confirm that Bernard was the victim.
Police continue to search for the suspect(s) and are appealing to the public for help.
“We need the public’s help to identify the perpetrators in this investigation,” Ransom said.
“Again, Mr. Bernard was twelve years old. He was brutally murdered and placed in a garbage can. The focus of this investigation is the swift arrest of those involved in this case.”
Pictured: A row of metal bins stands outside Haddington Houses council housing
Bernard grew up in North Philadelphia, but Bernard’s devastated sister, Lovier Jolly, said her brother last lived in the West Philadelphia area, the Inquirer reported.
On Thursday evening, hundreds gathered for the release of a balloon to pay tribute to Bernard.
The event was hosted by Pastor Aaron Campbell, the founder and director of LevelUp, an organization that provides services, mentorship, and a safe space for youth.
Campbell said that Bernard was a “loved” member of their organization and that he was there every Tuesday and Thursday without exception.
He described him as a polite young man who “lit up a room,” and someone who was “always dancing.” He had recently expressed interest in participating in their vocational training program, Campbell said.
“This was a twelve-year-old, a baby,” a grieving Campbell said in part. “Many here saw him as their younger brother.”
He added that the young man’s death has left everyone in the organization heartbroken and confused, the news source said.