Authorities in Ames continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a man found by an alley near downtown.
At 8:26 a.m. Sunday, the Ames Police Department received a report of a man laying in an alley near the 700 block of Burnett Avenue. Authorities responded to the area and located a deceased male in a parking lot near the alley, per a press release.
In a statement made to StoryCounty.News, Ames Police Major Jason Tuttle noted that police observed “no traumatic injuries to the body” of the deceased 53-year-old male who has since been sent on to the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner for an autopsy. “We found some other evidence at the scene,” Tuttle said. “But until we get the autopsy done, we really can’t say a whole lot.”
Tuttle clarified to StoryCounty.News that the alley, near where the man was found, runs north-south and lays parallel with Burnett Avenue and Kellogg Avenue. The body was found near the middle of the block, according to Tuttle.
Investigators believe the outdoor elements throughout the night could have been at play, but again Tuttle deferred to the upcoming autopsy results. “We think the weather may have had a factor in this,” he explained. “It’s likely he had been out there since the early morning hours.” Police expects results from the autopsy in the coming days, Tuttle stated.
Although Tuttle says there was no “direct” camera footage relative to the incident, police have been actively seeking potentially helpful security footage from the general area.
The identity of the man has not yet been released by the Ames Police Department.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call police at 515-239-5133 or anonymously at 515-239-5533. Reports can also be submitted at www.crimestoppersofcentraliowa.com.
So sad , and way too young to be gone. Good reporting! Will look for an update