Another Darwin Candidate...

[Hoss68]

Body in St. Paul building's vent was would-be burglar, police think

Curt Brown, Star Tribune April 8, 2004BODY0408

Brett McIntosh was fixing gutters at noon Wednesday atop the one-story retail building his father owns on St. Paul's University Avenue. While the ladder was up, his dad told him to check the roof for glass or nails.

He found something far more grisly. A vent cap had been wrenched off and a jacket sat nearby.

"I looked down and saw a man's arm stuck in the vent," McIntosh said. "At first I thought it was a bum looking for a warm place to sleep. But why crawl down there? Then I realized he was probably dead."

Paramedics at the scene confirmed that the 46-year-old St. Paul man was dead. The body was dangling toes-first a few inches from the floor of a furnace room. His body might have been there for a few days, according to St. Paul Police Department spokesman Paul Schnell. The man's name wasn't immediately released pending notification of relatives.

Schnell said that police suspect the man was attempting to break into a check-cashing business. But even if he had squeezed through the vent, he would have had no access to the check-cashing office, video store or insurance agency that share the building just east of Dale Street on the north side of University Avenue.

"To our knowledge, he had no connection with the owner of the building or any of the three businesses," Schnell said.

The Ramsey County medical examiner's office made a preliminary ruling that suffocation was the cause of death. Homicide investigators are also investigating. Schnell said the dead man had no history of felony convictions in St. Paul.

"It's a bad way to go," McIntosh said. "I'd bet he was in there for four or five days and probably ran out of water and passed out and died."

[cb88]

I wonder if the insurance agency carried his life insurance...makes claims adjusting easy "yup, he's dead alright"

[Hoss68]

Originally Posted by cb88

I wonder if the insurance agency carried his life insurance...makes claims adjusting easy "yup, he's dead alright"

OMG are you rotten!

[cb88]

Originally Posted by Hoss68

OMG are you rotten!

I've given this some thought.....

It may not matter, most life insurance policies void coverage if you die while in the act of committing a crime.

[conlor]

Did either of you see something about a man who was dead at his desk for several days before anyone knew he was dead? I just heard a little on the news yesterday. He always went in early and stayed a little late. He was a loner, staying at his desk. I think he must have been an accountant or something. I didn't even catch which city it was in and I haven't seen it in the paper.

[Hoss68]

Yes ma'am... Heard that one~

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/d/deadatwork.htm

Unproven...

[conlor]

Thanks Hoss. I knew one of you would find it. There's a guy I work with who I thought was dead for a week, but he just hadn't moved.