Minor Sato

The Minor Sato case was a highly publicized case of the 1930s in which the remnants of a young Japanese-American boy, referred to by authorities and the media as the minor Sato, was found in the dumpster behind the 14th Street NYPD Headquarters, in an area only accessible to police officers. The body was discovered by Officer Anthony Marciano.

Discovery of the body
At around 9PM on July 17, 1931 Officer Anthony Marciano, who had transferred from Buffalo, New York to New York City about three months prior, had gone out to the dumpsters from the back entrance of the building to empty the trash from his office. The dumpsters were kept inside of a locked garage next to the building, which required a key to enter. (Checkout of the key was not logged prior to the incident.) Upon entry into the garage Officer Marciano reported an unusually rancid smell coming from the dumpster, and upon opening the lid saw a leg poking out of a plastic bag. He returned to the department and alerted the supervisor, Officer Carl Fredrichs, and the dumpsters were emptied and searched. The body of an adolescent Japanese boy was discovered, having been dismembered and placed in different trash bags.

Identity of the body
The family of Sato Anai confirmed that their son had recently gone missing.