An apparently homeless person was found dead in West Hollywood Park yesterday.
Lt. Kathy McGauley said the man was discovered at 8:30 a.m. and appeared to have died of natural causes.
While dead bodies in public places are a very unusual occurrence in West Hollywood, McGauley was unable to provide any other details such as exactly where the body was found, who found it and the identity, race or ethnicity of the person.
He was my uncle. He disappeared 20 years ago and my family has been searching for him since. I’m 19 now and never got the chance to meet him. I only know him through the stories my family have shared with me and it hurts to know he was alone when SO many people loved and cared for him. It’s also a shame how inconsiderate and quick to judge people are nowadays. Rest in Peace Tommy. Your family will forever love you ❤
Sad. How horrible to die alone. I hope he wasn’t in any pain.
Right to know people should mind their own business. Bunch of modern day, virtual lookyloos is all you are.
I do think the public has a “need to know” and the Sheriff’s Station should have basic information available or have a good reason not to share it. I think they’re pouting because they want more helicopters.
What exactly are you going to do with this additional information? Maybe send a sympathy card to the family that abandoned him.
And what exactly does this issue have to do with the Sheriff’s Department perhaps desiring more helicopters? The Deputies may also like to have Lincoln Navagators.
There are four possible causes of death on a death certificate: Homicide, suicide, accident or natural cause. Must have been the latter.
Brad, ever hear of “a need to know? ” He was apparently homeles and died of natural causes, end of story.
@Riley: You raise fair points. However, I believe there is a bigger issue: The Sheriff’s Department in West Hollywood needs to do a better job of communicating facts to the public–which includes media outlets, such as WEHOville, that seek information to communicate to the public. I’ve seen far too many instances where WEHOville has to labor to get just basic information from a non-responsive Sheriff’s Department. What does the Sheriff’s Department have to hide? I commend Hank for, in stories, providing a) the name(s) of the Sheriff’s Department employee(s) who decline to provide basic information and b) the specifics of… Read more »
@Brad, well that’s a little harsh and snippy, wouldn’t you say? There are guidelines for releasing information i.e. not releasing the name of the individual until the next of kin is notified. The Sheriffs do a damn good job. The juxtaposition of the Sheriff’s Station has nothing to do with it. If there was foul play they do not want info out that might tip off the perpetrator. They didn’t say they didn’t HAVE “any of those basic and obvious details” they said they couldn’t release them. I usually agree with you Brad, but have to disagree on this one.… Read more »
Actually, after seven telephone calls, most of which went unanswered, the Sheriff’s Station did say they didn’t have information available on the location of the incident, the name of the person or, until I pressed a lot, when it actually happened.
Saw the scene myself. He was wearing jeans and boots, right at the northeast corner of the park on the grass. A few hours after the body was removed someone was sitting in the exact spot on a beach towel. A couple more hours and I saw kids playing outdoor games in the same spot. Circle of life.
Well, as for the Sheriff’s Department not having any of those basic and obvious details, you have to understand that it’s at least 100 feet from the Sheriff’s Department to West Hollywood Park. That’s a lot of ground to cover.