South Milwaukee homicide, man arrested

A man has been arrested in connection to a homicide, where a man was found dead in a garbage bin behind a Pizza Hut.

SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. - A 31-year-old Milwaukee man has been arrested in connection to the South Milwaukee homicide that took place on Wednesday, Feb. 7, with the victim’s body being found in a Pizza Hut dumpster.

South Milwaukee police said the man was arrested on Sunday, Feb. 11.

Authorities said 55-year-old Alexander Stengel of Cudahy was killed, and his body was found around 11 a.m. that morning. A report from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Monday, Feb. 12 that Stengel was a Pizza Hut manager.

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Friends of Stengel said he was an employee at the location for many years. They said he loved his job and kept to himself. They also called it a horrific crime and said the community will miss him.

The investigation is ongoing and charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office in the coming days.

FOX6 News was at the scene that day, not far from Packard and College, and found a garbage truck within the police perimeter. Crews in HAZMAT suits were also seen going in and out of the Pizza Hut with a trail of yellow evidence markers stretching from the restaurant to the dumpster.

Body found in South Milwaukee Pizza Hut dumpster (Feb. 7, 2023)

"We started asking the garbage guy, and he was like, ‘Yeah, we saw a dead body behind the garbage can,’" Barry Hallett, who owns a nearby business, said Wednesday.

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As of Monday, Feb. 12, the Pizza Hut location remains closed.

The Wisconsin State Crime Lab is assisting police in the investigation.