Man Charged With Stuffing Friend's Body In Garbage Can
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 60-year-old man has been charged with trying to cover up the death of a friend in January by stuffing his body in a garbage can in the Englewood neighborhood.
Charles Davis has been charged with one felony count of concealment of death/moving a body and is being held at the Cook County Jail on $5,000 bond, according to police and jail records.
Police say Davis admitted putting Cobb in the garbage can and putting it in an alley. The medical examiner's office says the cause and manner of Cobb's death are still pending.
Sources told CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot that Davis was caught on surveillance video as he took a snow-covered garbage can into his apartment building near 65th and Yale around 11 p.m. on Jan. 23. He then got into an elevator, and about half an hour later, Davis left the building, pulling the garbage can and wearing a different coat.
According to sources, the coat belonged to William Cobb. Davis allegedly put on Cobb's coat after putting his body in the garbage can.
Police said Cobb's frozen body was found five days later behind the apartment building.
Cobb's family says he had recently retired from a food manufacturing company and had a substantial amount of money on him. The money, his identification and personal belongings have not been found.
Sources said Cobb once lived in the same building as Davis, and the two were friends. But Cobb was no longer living there at the time of his death.
About eight hours before hiding Cobb's body, Davis allegedly called police. At 3 p.m. he let officers into the building. They responded to a call of a body in an apartment. They went upstairs, but no body was found. The officers then left.
Sources said Davis went out of state after hiding Cobb's body and was arrested last week near 68th and Ashland, an area he is known to frequent.
"The individuals that I talked to, especially some of the residents who stay in this area, would always see them together and after this had happened, you didn't see his so-called friend, no more," said community activist Andrew Holmes.
Davis was due back in court on July 3, according to Cook County Jail records.