A man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a homicide that came to light after a severed hand was found inside a downtown Winnipeg dumpster.

Emery Miles McLeod, 38, was arrested Tuesday at an apartment building on Thomas Berry Street in the city's St. Boniface neighbourhood.

The victim has been identified as Darin Robert Monias, 42, of Winnipeg. No cause of death has been released.

Darin Monias, seen in an undated photo, was described by his girlfriend as a quiet man who 'took care of the people that he cared about.' (Family photo)

The two men were roommates in the Winnipeg apartment, police said.

Monias's girlfriend told CBC News McLeod and Monias had worked together at a farm chemical company for 15 years.

The girlfriend, who did not want to be named out of concerns for her safety, described Monias as a quiet, shy man who did not do drugs.

"Darin was basically the one that cooked and cleaned and, like, that's just the way Darin was. He took care of the people that he cared about," she said.

Hand in clear plastic bag, witness says

The woman said she last saw Monias on Saturday morning, adding she was shocked to hear about how he died.

The discovery was made Monday in a dumpster on York Avenue between Smith and Donald streets.

Jagtar Singh, the owner of the nearby Dhoom Restaurant & Lounge, told CBC News he saw a right hand inside a clear plastic bag in the dumpster and asked one of his servers to call police. Singh said he was alerted and brought to the dumpster by a homeless man who made the initial discovery.

There was a heavy police presence in the area all day Monday, with officers removing several plastic bags from the dumpster located behind a high-rise residence.

Police have not confirmed or denied whether body parts were found.

Const. Jason Michalyshen told media on Tuesday that police have been reluctant to release details "due to sensitivity of what we're dealing with" and the need to contact the deceased's family members.