KTUU.com | Alaska's news and information source | Another man found dead outside

Another man found dead outside

by Channel 2 News staff
Sunday, August 9, 2009

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Police are investigating yet another body discovered outside Sunday, the latest in a string of deaths on Anchorage streets.

The man's body was discovered in a sleeping bag in what appears to be homeless camp near the intersection of DeBarr Road and Bragaw Street in East Anchorage, behind the Birch Tree restaurant.

Sunday's discovery makes at least nine homeless deaths in Anchorage since May. It's not yet known of the woman who was found dead in Muriel King Park last week was homeless, which would add to the total.

Sgt. Kevin Vandergriff with the Anchorage Police Department said he did not immediately see anything suspicious. The body had already started to decompose, indicating he had been dead for several days.

Police were notified of a possible dead body by Channel 2 News after an unidentified teenager approached an off-duty KTUU staff member. The teenager, approximately 16 to 18 years old, told the staffer he had found the body Saturday night, but was unsure of what he should do.

The teen told the Channel 2 staffer, who had just arrived at his Downtown residence in a KTUU vehicle, that there was a warrant out for his arrest and he didn't want to contact police himself. When the teenager saw the Channel 2 vehicle, he rode up to the staffer and asked the staffer to report the body.

KTUU immediately called police, who are looking for the teenager to question him and get more details. Police do not believe he was involved in the death.

An autopsy will be performed before police rule out foul play.

Channel 2's Jill Burke, Jason Kohler and Casey Grove contributed to this report.

Contact Channel 2 at news_desk@ktuu.com