Pleasanton police are investigating this as a homicide, only because they don't know otherwise. They are waiting to hear more details from the Alameda County coroner on Friday. They do know that the body is that of a female and it is not a child. However, authorities are not saying if this could be 15-year-old missing Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar. Santa Clara County authorities were not on scene for this case.
Shortly before noon, someone who lives nearby spotted the trash can along Dublin Canyon Road near Laurel Creek Drive.
"There is nothing remarkable about the trash can at all. It was adjacent to the roadway amongst some foliage and in an area where perhaps the casual driver coming through the area may or may not have noticed it," said Pleasanton Police Lt. Jeff Bretzing.
When police responded, they discovered a body inside the 45-gallon plastic container. The Alameda County coroner removed the remains.
"Preliminary investigation on their part revealed a female body, but we don't yet know the age or ethnicity or anything else, but we're hoping to learn that very soon," said Bretzing.
The discovery has Barb Young a little worried. She lives across the street from where the body was found.
"We've had the property for 50 years and have not seen any problem like this before in the area at all," said Young.
She isn't surprised one of her neighbors called police about an unfamiliar trash can that doesn't belong to the city.
"There's only a few. Just a couple, one right here and one over here. So it's very few people so everybody kind of knows what's going on," said Young.
But the body raises many questions. Some wonder if it could be LaMar.
"We're obviously sensitive to that case as well and we just can't until the coroner completes the investigation that we can't make that determination. There is an autopsy scheduled for tomorrow and so we're hoping to get more information after that," said Bretzing.
Santa Clara County investigators called Pleasanton police when they heard about the body. They said Pleasanton did not call them. Like everyone else, Santa Clara County investigators are waiting until Friday to hear more from the coroner.
Pleasanton police are investigating this as a homicide because they don't know how the person died.
