Body in bale: Daniel Bindner's death a tragic accident say police

Daniel Bindner's body was found in bales of cardboard at OJI Fibre Solutions in Hamilton. Photo / Michael Craig

The man whose body was found in a cardboard bale last week likely died in a tragic accident, police say.

Police have been investigating the unexplained death of Daniel Bindner, whose body was discovered last Tuesday, but have now ruled out foul play.

"We have been conducting extensive inquiries into the circumstances surrounding Mr Bindner's death and at this point we have not found any evidence to suggest that the death was suspicious," said Detective Inspector Hywel Jones.

Daniel Bindner is most likely to have sought shelter in a recycling bin, according to police. Photo / Supplied

"We know that he had recently been sleeping rough and indications are that he most likely climbed into a waste bin in Te Awamutu to seek shelter," Mr Jones said.

"We believe a recycling truck has collected the bin the following morning and Mr Bindner died at some point in the recycling process.

"At this point we consider Mr Bindner's death to likely be a tragic accident, however we are still continuing our investigation and viewing extensive CCTV footage to try and confirm Mr Bindner's final movements since he was last sighted."

The homeless father of three was last seen alive at Te Awamutu McDonald's at 11.04pm on Tuesday 21 June.

"While we believe he likely sought shelter in a waste bin in the early hours of that Tuesday morning we would still like to hear from anyone who may have seen him around or after 11.04pm that night."

Police said once their investigation was finished they would likely refer the case to the Coroner.

"Our sympathies go out to Mr Bindner's family at this time. Police have provided support to the driver of the recycling truck."