Dallas apartment residents react to body found in trash chute: "It's very shocking"
DALLAS -- Police are investigating after the body of a man was discovered in a trash chute of a luxury Dallas high-rise on Valentine's Day.
The incident, which Dallas police investigated around 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 14, occurred at the Jordan apartment complex off Thomas Ave. downtown.
They identified the deceased as 28-year-old Marcus Brown, who residents don't believe was a resident of the building.
"He doesn't live here, and nobody knows who he is, and nobody knows who he is associated with," resident Haleigh Kolenda said.
Kolenda said she was interviewed by police after mail was found in the trash chute near Brown's body.
"It's very shocking," she said. "I guess my trash was underneath or near the body. I have no idea, but they were trying to see when we threw our trash out just to get more insight into when it happened."
On Wednesday, the Dallas Police Violent Crimes Unit was seen investigating at the scene.
As of now, police say there's no indication of danger to the public, but residents remain concerned for their safety.
"I don't know exactly what they're investigating, but when there's smoke, there's fire," resident Charlie Kolean said. "To find a body in the garbage compactor... I believe it's only accessible by the trash chute. To think that someone could be tossed or discarded down the chute is absolutely unbelievable and horrid to think about."
Residents have heard of clothing and blood being seen in the stairwell, but police could not confirm these details.
Residents claim the apartment management has not directly informed them about the body, only describing it "shocking" via email.
"We understand that the recent incident has been a shock to all of us...," the email to residents said. "We apologize for the limited information we are allowed to share. The Dallas Police Department has strictly prohibited information surrounding the incident. We cannot share any details with our residents that have not been confirmed by the local authorities. To do so would compromise their ongoing investigation. The police have conveyed to us that it appears to be an isolated incident."
CBS News Texas received a similar statement from the complex.
"We are in communication with our residents, however, because this is an ongoing investigation, we are limited in the information we have to share," the statement said.
Kolean expressed hope for increased transparency from management in the coming days.
"I think everyone would want to know what's going on in their building especially when it's their safety they should be worried about," Kolean said.