By Joe Johnson
Authorities are trying to identify the body of a man whose body was found Sunday just north of downtown.
The discovery was made near some old railroad tracks adjacent to Thomas N Lay Park off of Hoyt Street.
The body appeared to be that of a middle-aged Black male who may have been homeless, said Athens-Clarke County Coroner Sonny Wilson,
There were no obvious indications of physical trauma, and the body will undergo an autopsy to determine an identity and cause of death.
A member of the Classic City Pétanque Club, which uses a court in Lay Park, said club members observed police activity in an area by the railroad tracks that had been cordoned off with yellow tape.
He said that club members had previously observed a homeless camp in the area.
Thanks for the data.
It cost me $5 to rid myself of a pushy panhandler downtown today. I guess that's the cost of admission to my beloved birthplace these days. Some cities are handling their homeless problem. Or maybe they are just handling the visibility of their homeless problem. Athens needs to learn from them (hello Greenville!) and put some better plans into place.
There was a man found dead in the bathroom at the McDonalds on Gaines School Rd. Saturday from a drug overdose also.
What's going on with all the homeless death in Athens lately? Is this always a problem but never reported on?