By SALINA POST
A 62-year-old man was found unresponsive outside Immanuel Lutheran Church on South Seventh Street in Salina, Kansas, on October 20.
According to Salina Police Department Cpt. James Feldman, the deceased man, identified as an unhoused person, was discovered by a 45-year-old woman attending church services that morning.
"Initially, she believed the man was sleeping, but after noticing he was unresponsive, she called 911," Feldman said.
The 911 call was placed at 10:43 a.m.
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The body was examined by the Saline County Coroner, Dr. David Dupy, who determined that no foul play was involved and that the death appeared to be of natural causes.
Feldman said the coroner will make the final decision regarding whether an autopsy will be conducted. The official death certificate has not been signed yet by Dr. Dupy.
"Whenever we get a dead body, we treat everyone like a homicide, until we prove otherwise. That's how we're trained because you never know," Feldman said.
Ben Pruitt, 47, of Salina, said when he saw the 62-year-old deceased man's body located near Immanuel Lutheran, he was not fully covered.
"I'm expecting to see crime scene tape and I don't see anything," Pruitt said. "I look to my right and there's a body with a white sheet over his face and chest."
Pruitt said he saw the deceased man at 11:45 a.m. on Sunday. He said the man was on the ground wearing dark-colored jeans, and black and gray tennis shoes and showed signs of rigor mortis.
Pruitt was in the area after someone he knew sent him a message about there being a possibly deceased unhoused person located near the church.
Feldman said SPD officers did remove the blanket covering the man temporarily to take photos of the scene. Feldman said crime scene tape was not used because officers were able to "easily control the scene."
SPD did not release any additional information regarding the manās identity or the exact circumstances leading to his death.