By Burke Olsen
A man was found dead in a derelict car two blocks north of the Provo City Police Department in Utah Monday morning, Jan. 15.
Officers were called at 10 a.m. and told that a man was lying in an abandoned car and was unresponsive.
Joe Christensen, 24, of Provo, Utah found the man in a 1983 Subaru in the back lot of Car Doctors, 151 N. 300 W., where he works.
Christensen said he had noticed the man sleeping in the car on Saturday between 1 and 3 p.m. When he came into work Monday morning he saw that the man was still in the same position and decided that something might be wrong.
Christensen and Rob Mayo, 27, of Payson, Utah, owner of Car Doctors, shook the car to see if the man would respond.
“He didn”t move. We tried to see if he was breathing and we could tell that he wasn”t. His hands were all shriveled up,” Mayo said.
The man was wearing a coat and a hat and he had a light jacket pulled over him, Christensen said.
Mayo said he has seen transients sleeping in cars on his lot before and has had to call the police.
“I”ve seen this man walking around occasionally,” he said.
When asked why he didn”t call authorities on Saturday, Christensen said, “If he was just sleeping it really didn”t bother me.”
Police officers called for an ambulance to verify that the man was dead. It was difficult to get the car open. The man had locked it from the inside.
State medical examiners will examine the body to determine the cause and time of death. Their results will be released later this week.
Becky Garcia, 24, a stay-at-home-mom, lives in Daniel”s Square Condominiums which face the lot where the man was found. She said she was shocked to hear that a man had died in her back yard.
“It upsets me that I never even noticed. I can look out of my window and see the cars and I had no idea that there are homeless people staying out there,” Garcia said.
Until notifications are made to family members or next-of-kin, the identity of the man will not be released.
The vehicle was brought to Car Doctors last year to have some engine work done. The owner of the car decided that it would be too expensive and has yet to retrieve the car.
