Hammond Man Found Dead in Garbage Truck, Crushed After Falling Asleep in Dumpster
A Hammond man died on Monday after he was crushed by a mechanical compactor and his body was later found in the back of a garbage truck.
According to Hammond Police, the man has been identified as 42-year-old Jermaine Watts. They said he fell asleep in a dumpster to escape the cold temperatures that hit the region on Sunday evening.
When the contents of the dumpster were loaded into the garbage truck equipped with a mechanical compactor, police say it appears Watts suffered fatal injuries when the compactor was activated.
His body was found on Monday in the mechanical portion of the garbage truck.
It is still unclear as to the reason whether Watts' decision to enter the dumpster was due to homelessness or another reason.
Police said that preliminary findings show no signs of foul play, however, Watts' official cause of death is pending an autopsy and toxicology reports from the coroner's office.
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