Man, 66, found dead in alley in Englewood

Family members of a 66-year-old man are searching for answers after he was found dead in a trash can Monday morning in the South Side Englewood neighborhood.

About 9:15 a.m., workers from the Department of Streets and Sanitation found William Cobb dead in the alley in the 6500 block of South Yale, according to Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Community activist Andrew Holmes, who is serving as a spokesman for Cobb’s family, told the Chicago Sun-Times on Saturday that he was found inside a trash can. Holmes said Cobb’s family was “totally shocked” by his death.

“When they called, they were calling and pleading for help,” Holmes said.

According to the medical examiner’s office, Cobb didn’t have a listed home address, although Holmes said he stayed at a senior facility close to where his body was discovered.

An autopsy conducted Tuesday didn’t rule on the cause and manner of Cobb’s death, with results pending further studies, the medical examiner’s office.

Area South detectives are currently conducting a death investigation. However, investigators could open a criminal investigation if the results of his autopsy indicate that foul play was involved in his death.