Decomposing body found inside container in Crenshaw home

CRENSHAW (FOX 11) - A decomposing body was found in a container inside a Crenshaw home, according to Los Angeles Police Department detectives.

The Criminal Gang Homicide Division is investigating the crime as a murder.

The landlord of the complex called 911 shortly before noon Thursday after finding the body of a black man in a plastic container inside the home, Lt. Mike Oppelt said.

Oppelt said the body was found inside the home of a "missing person." Terry Benjamin, a 52-year-old black man was last seen on January 4. Oppelt said they don't know if Benjamin is the same person they found inside the container.

Dennis Graham said he lives inside the same building as Benjamin.

"I know my landlady said that they had went through the apartment and that nobody had seen him. They thought he was missing. They said his car was there, there was a bunch of food, there was a bad smell... that's disturbing," Graham said.

Though the identity of the person found in the container is unknown, Benjamin's family spent the day at the scene. Calvin Williams said he's his brother.

"I'm not really feeling to good about any of this because it's a shame. He had been doing pretty good around here and I don't know what happened, Williams said.

Graham said his landlord had been worried about Benjamin and had planned to install lights in the back of the building.

"Why lights," FOX11's Christine O'Donnell asked

"I guess that she was concerned that he was missing so if there was riffraff around or anything like that then that would possibly keep them away," Graham said.

Investigators spent the day processing the scene. Almost 10 hours after the discovery, the corner removed the body.