After a teen finds a body in an Olney trash can, police search for cause of death

Police are investigating the death of an unidentified man whose body was found in a trash can in Philadelphia’s Olney section.

Officials of a nearby school alerted police after a teen girl told them on Tuesday afternoon that a homicide had happened over Christmas break, police said. Police followed the girl’s tip and found the man’s body in a trash can at North Sixth and West Rockland Streets shortly after 1:30 p.m..

Acting Police Commissioner Christine Coulter told 6ABC that the girl said the homicide happened in late December, and that she witnessed it.

On Wednesday morning, Coulter told reporters at Police Headquarters that investigators were awaiting a cause of death and believe the victim knew his assailants.

She said the case would be “easily solvable” after the cause of death was determined.

She said police were “fortunate” the student had come forward “because I don’t know how much longer it would have been to discover the person body and made the attempts to identify and notify the family.”

Police declined to provide any identifying information on the girl or the school, and no other details were released.