12-year-old boy found dead in Philadelphia dumpster and shot through the head, police say

A sanitation worker found the body of a 12-year-old boy in a dumpster in Philadelphia, and police have revealed that the boy had a gunshot wound in his head.

The details of the investigation into the horrendous incident were released to the public by Ernest Ransom, commander of the Philadelphia Police Department’s homicide unit, in a media briefing Thursday.

Ransom said that a sanitation worker initially transported the plastic container with the boy's body to a housing facility on August 22, where it stayed overnight. The next day, he went to move the container, and the boy's body tumbled out.

"During the drive, the container overturned, and the remains of a male were observed inside that container," said Ransom.

Ransom said that the boy was shot in the head and had been wrapped in plastic and a rug. Police believe that he had been dead for two days before the body was found.

Police were able to identify the boy after passing out flyers in the neighborhood. His family contacted the police and identified him as 12-year-old Hezekiah Bernard.

"Again, Mr. Bernard was 12 years old. He was brutally killed and placed in a trash can. The focus is the apprehension of those involved in the senseless death," said Ransom.

The boy had recently been under the care of DHS but not at the time that he was killed.

Police have not publicly identified any suspects, and their investigation is ongoing.

“We feel like there’s some sense of justice that needs to be served, and we push hard to find these individuals involved in this killing,” Ransom added.

Here's a local news report about the incident:

Boy, 12, dead in trash can, gunshot wound to the headwww.youtube.com

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