Man’s body found inside burning dumpster near downtown Phoenix

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Police are investigating after a man’s body was found burning inside a dumpster in downtown Phoenix early Tuesday morning.

Officers responded around 8 a.m. to 11th Avenue and Madison Street, an area known as ‘The Zone’, where police say a man was in a dumpster that had been set on fire. The man wasn’t able to be identified due to the burns covering his body, police said.

Details on what prompted a call out to the area are still unclear. Detectives have confirmed they are treating the scene as a homicide.

The area at the center of the investigation is just a short distance from a Phoenix police station and state and federal courthouses. Arizona’s Family has previously reported the “The Zone” is a large homeless encampment that has taken hold of a big portion of downtown Phoenix.