Emergency responders are shown at the scene of a possible suicide in front of Trinity Lutheran Church and School this morning. Police found the victim, a 39-year-old man, hanging from a fence using a belt. Investigators said at this point, there appears to be no foul play.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Will Channell)
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A man was found dead this morning of a possible suicide in a parking lot across the street from Trinity Lutheran Church and School on South Walnut Street.
At 7:14 a.m., a family dropping their children off at the church reported a suspicious person standing in front of a fence separating the lot and a neighboring residence.
Officers arrived and found a 39-year-old man dead.
“There was a belt around the fence, and he was hanging from the fence,” said Lance Emberling, lead investigator with the Union County Coroner’s Office.
Officers called medics, and the man was pronounced dead at 7:20 a.m.
The man’s car was parked nearby. Officials believe the man was living in Marysville.
Emberling said the body had been there for roughly two or three hours. He said while it’s still too early to tell the circumstances of the man’s death, “Right now, it’s looking like (suicide).”
“I don’t see anything suspect right at this point,” Emberling said.
For now, authorities are investigating the incident.
“We got some possible video camera (footage) from the school,” he said. “We’re checking with neighbors to see if they’ve seen anything.”
Emberling said the man is being sent to the Montgomery County Coroner for an autopsy. He said preliminary results will be available in “a couple days,” while final results will be available in eight to 12 weeks.
Residents struggling with mental illness and considering suicide can call the Nation Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.