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Sandra Yi ReportingDavid Wenerstrom: "You go to find stuff in the dumpster, you sure as heck don't want to find a body."
But that's just what this man found. Now police have a murder mystery on their hands. Police identified the victim as 22-year old Sheree Allen. Her body was in a dumpster behind a West Valley City strip mall.
Sandra Yi talked to the man who made the discovery. He was rummaging through a dumpster, looking for anything valuable. What he found would spark a murder investigation.
David Wenerstrom is a so-called 'dumpster diver'.
David Wenerstrom, Found Body in Dumpster: “I check dumpsters for the good stuff. There’s a lot of stuff out there to be got.”
He's found valuables in the past. But on Monday night he made an discovery he never imagined possible.
David Wenerstrom: "It still hits me pretty good to find something like that."
He saw a garbage bag in the back of the bin. He says it was heavy. Curiosity prompted him to open it.
David Wenerstrom: "I went to rip it open and I felt it, I felt her bones in the back, and it was an eerie feeling."
He drove to a nearby business and called police. Investigators soon confirmed that inside the bag was the body of a woman. Fingerprints identified the victim as 22-year old Sheree Allen of Salt Lake City. Police believe she had been dead up to three days.
David Wenerstrom: "I was real leery if someone was around who did it. I don't know. It's not something I want to do again."
Allen has a criminal history. She was arrested on December 29th in an area where officers have arrested prostitutes in the past.
Allen was also convicted of forgery last March. A warrant was issued in September when she failed to comply with terms of a probation. Court documents list her aliases. But despite her criminal past, Wenerstrom says it's a death no one deserves.
David Wenerstrom: "There are some sick minds out there. To do something like that, it's cold, it's way cold."
Police know the cause of death, but are not releasing that information as the investigation continues. They have no suspects. If you have any information on this case, call West Valley City Police.
