Ferndale Fire Dept. Removes Deceased Person from Roof of Duplex UPDATED
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 9, 2016)
Ferndale, MI – A man was found dead on the roof of a duplex on E. Drayton just east of Woodward Avenue in Ferndale on Tuesday. Ferndale Fire Rescue brought out the department’s ladder truck to remove the man, who was carried away by investigators from the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office at about 4pm. The cause of death is under investigation.
Neither Ferndale Police or Ferndale Fire had representatives available to comment.
UPDATED: Ferndale Police Captain Palazzolo stated that the police were called at about 1:19pm Tuesday by the homeowner. The homeowner told police the man was last seen on Feb. 5. His body was found covered with snow sitting against the chimney.
“We believe he was there for at least a few days,” Captain Palazzolo said. “The roof was easily accessible from the deck. You didn’t need a ladder or anything to get up there.”
He stated that there were “signs of illegal drug activity,” including needles and heroin packets. The homeowner told police that the man had a drug problem in the past, but thought that he was clean.
The Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office has begun their investigation, but the cause of death determination is pending the results of toxicology reports, which will take about a month. The man found on the roof was 28 years old and had been renting the room on E. Drayton for only a couple of weeks.
The group Bryan’s Hope has been working to bring attention to heroin epidemic in SE Michigan. Nearly one person a day dies in Oakland County from illegal use of prescription pills or heroin. To learn more, read our previous article, which includes their documentary at https://oaklandcounty115.com/2016/02/06/waterford-based-group-makes-heroin-documentary-video/.
This story will be updated as more information is available.
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