Dead body found at Hiriya recycling site

Police say victim has gunshot wounds, was in advanced stages of decomposition

A dead body in advanced stages of decomposition was found at the Hiriya recycling site in central Israel on Sunday, police said, opening an investigation.

Police said the dead man, who had gunshot wounds on his body, appeared to be a resident of central Israel in his thirties, according to personal identification found on his body.

The body was found in a recycling container as it was being emptied.

A crane operator, who found the body, told the Ynet news website: “I was called over because something was blocking the ramp. I looked into the ramp and I thought I saw clothes so I went into the container, I pulled at it and a man came out.”

Authorities were investigating.

Hiriya is a massive public landfill that was used as a dumping site from the 1950s until 2000. It has since been reopened as the Ariel Sharon Park and is eventually planned to feature green spaces, bike paths, ponds, camp sites and more.