Right Across the Tracks - Bopcha and I saw the police activity
And Kay and I investigated the scene after the crime scene tape was removed. Here's the GT article:
Transient dies on fall’s coldest night
Andy Cripe | Gazette-Times
Corvallis police investigate the camp in a vacant lot near Seventh Street and D Avenue where a 79-year-old local homeless was found dead Friday morning. The man’s identity was withheld while police try to notify his family.
Elderly homeless man rebuffed officer’s attempts to help
By KYLE ODEGARD
Gazette-Times reporter
Thanksgiving night brought the coldest overnight temperature so far this fall and police believe the sub-freezing weather may have led to the death of a 79-year-old homeless man.
Corvallis police Officer Luther MacLean regularly checked in on Marlin Mark Madden, who was camped near a cluster of trees in a vacant lot near Southwest Seventh Street and D Avenue.
On Thursday evening, MacLean brought Madden a home-cooked meal and a coat. On Friday morning, shortly before 8 a.m., MacLean stopped by Madden’s camp and found him dead.
“At this point in time, it appears to be a natural death,†Detective Lt. Tim Brewer said Friday. “The temperature may have played a factor. It’s a pretty safe assumption that may have contributed to his death.â€Â
Madden also had “fairly severe†medical conditions, Brewer said.
There were no signs of foul play, Brewer said, and there are no plans for an autopsy.
Police continue to search for Madden’s next of kin, and those with information should call Detective Shawn Houck at 766-6924.
According to the National Weather Service, the overnight low temperature in Corvallis was 23 degrees.
“It’s definitely the coldest night of the season,†said George Taylor, who manages the Oregon Climate Service at Oregon State University.
Gail Hoien, manager of the Cedar Crest Apartments, a block from the dead man’s camp, said some residents had visited with Madden, who would walk down Seventh Street to get coffee and would feed rolls to feathered wildlife.
“He used to come back here and whistle at the birds, and they’d chirp back at him,†Hoien said as she put up Christmas lights outside her apartment on Friday morning, clad in a winter coat, a stocking cap and fingerless gloves.
Madden didn’t have winter attire, she said, and though several other homeless people camp nearby, he was something of a loner.
“This guy was all by himself,†she said.
MacLean said Madden showed up in Corvallis midway through the summer. “He was just a nice old guy. Didn’t like hanging out with everybody,†MacLean said.
“He was usually OK, but last night I went and saw him, and he was really cold, and I reminded him again that there were places to go,†MacLean said. He suggested local shelters or even a motel, which Madden could have afforded with his Social Security payment, MacLean said.
Madden was staunchly independent and wanted to stay at his camp.
“You can’t compel him to do things,†MacLean said.
And when he found Madden on Friday morning, it didn’t appear he’d used MacLean’s coat or the hand-warmers he’d provided.
“It’s kind of sad.â€Â
Kyle Odegard can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net or 758-9523.
Winter gear for homeless
There will be more freezing nights in the mid-Willamette Valley in coming months, leaving homeless people even more vulnerable the usual.
Local nonprofits are taking donations of coats, blankets and other items to help homeless people survive the cold, wet weather.
“We are particularly in need of sleeping bags right now,†said Christine Duffney, executive director of Vina Moses, an organization that provides clothing and household items to low-income families and individuals.
Wilma Van Schelven, executive director of Love Inc., said socks are needed to keep people’s feet warm and dry in during winter.
Winter gear for homeless people may be dropped off at:
• Corvallis Homeless Shelter Coalition drop box at WOW Fitness, 327 S.W. Third St.
• Vina Moses Center, 968 N.W. Garfield Ave., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
• Love Inc., 915 N.W. Grant Ave., 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
Transient dies on fall’s coldest night
Andy Cripe | Gazette-Times
Corvallis police investigate the camp in a vacant lot near Seventh Street and D Avenue where a 79-year-old local homeless was found dead Friday morning. The man’s identity was withheld while police try to notify his family.
Elderly homeless man rebuffed officer’s attempts to help
By KYLE ODEGARD
Gazette-Times reporter
Thanksgiving night brought the coldest overnight temperature so far this fall and police believe the sub-freezing weather may have led to the death of a 79-year-old homeless man.
Corvallis police Officer Luther MacLean regularly checked in on Marlin Mark Madden, who was camped near a cluster of trees in a vacant lot near Southwest Seventh Street and D Avenue.
On Thursday evening, MacLean brought Madden a home-cooked meal and a coat. On Friday morning, shortly before 8 a.m., MacLean stopped by Madden’s camp and found him dead.
“At this point in time, it appears to be a natural death,†Detective Lt. Tim Brewer said Friday. “The temperature may have played a factor. It’s a pretty safe assumption that may have contributed to his death.â€Â
Madden also had “fairly severe†medical conditions, Brewer said.
There were no signs of foul play, Brewer said, and there are no plans for an autopsy.
Police continue to search for Madden’s next of kin, and those with information should call Detective Shawn Houck at 766-6924.
According to the National Weather Service, the overnight low temperature in Corvallis was 23 degrees.
“It’s definitely the coldest night of the season,†said George Taylor, who manages the Oregon Climate Service at Oregon State University.
Gail Hoien, manager of the Cedar Crest Apartments, a block from the dead man’s camp, said some residents had visited with Madden, who would walk down Seventh Street to get coffee and would feed rolls to feathered wildlife.
“He used to come back here and whistle at the birds, and they’d chirp back at him,†Hoien said as she put up Christmas lights outside her apartment on Friday morning, clad in a winter coat, a stocking cap and fingerless gloves.
Madden didn’t have winter attire, she said, and though several other homeless people camp nearby, he was something of a loner.
“This guy was all by himself,†she said.
MacLean said Madden showed up in Corvallis midway through the summer. “He was just a nice old guy. Didn’t like hanging out with everybody,†MacLean said.
“He was usually OK, but last night I went and saw him, and he was really cold, and I reminded him again that there were places to go,†MacLean said. He suggested local shelters or even a motel, which Madden could have afforded with his Social Security payment, MacLean said.
Madden was staunchly independent and wanted to stay at his camp.
“You can’t compel him to do things,†MacLean said.
And when he found Madden on Friday morning, it didn’t appear he’d used MacLean’s coat or the hand-warmers he’d provided.
“It’s kind of sad.â€Â
Kyle Odegard can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net or 758-9523.
Winter gear for homeless
There will be more freezing nights in the mid-Willamette Valley in coming months, leaving homeless people even more vulnerable the usual.
Local nonprofits are taking donations of coats, blankets and other items to help homeless people survive the cold, wet weather.
“We are particularly in need of sleeping bags right now,†said Christine Duffney, executive director of Vina Moses, an organization that provides clothing and household items to low-income families and individuals.
Wilma Van Schelven, executive director of Love Inc., said socks are needed to keep people’s feet warm and dry in during winter.
Winter gear for homeless people may be dropped off at:
• Corvallis Homeless Shelter Coalition drop box at WOW Fitness, 327 S.W. Third St.
• Vina Moses Center, 968 N.W. Garfield Ave., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
• Love Inc., 915 N.W. Grant Ave., 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
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