Homeless Man Found Dead Near Compactor Was Not Crushed
CHICAGO (STMW) - The homeless man who was found dead Monday morning near a trash compactor on Lower Michigan Avenue was not crushed by the compactor but died of heart disease, an autopsy Tuesday found.
The man, believed to be between in his 50s, remained unidentified, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
Workers in the Magnificent Mile building frequently saw the homeless man who apparently staked out as his home base an area near the huge garbage dumpster and compactor outside the building's loading dock on Lower Michigan Avenue.
He would be found camped out near the green steel bins when temperatures dipped below zero, and many a worker had brought him warm clothing in the last couple of weeks.
Police said they found the man's body after being called to the area at 430 N. Michigan Ave. — just behind the Billy Goat Tavern — at 9:18 a.m. Monday.
The man was pronounced dead on the scene at 10:24 a.m., according to a spokesman for the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. An autopsy Tuesday found that he died of coronary atherosclerosis, hypertensive cardiovascular disease, and his death was ruled natural, the medical examiner's office said.
"He was always hanging out back here," said Mary Glick, another worker in the building. "Last week when it was so cold, we saw him out here with no coat on. Our dock girl ended up finding him gloves and a coat. A few days later, he was back here, with no coat."
Hayward said the man had been shooed away from the area many times, but always seemed to return.
Belmont Area detectives are conducting a death investigation.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
