Police: No foul play in death of man found near 17th and Center

A 58-year-old man was found dead early Sunday morning near the intersection of Center and 17th streets NE.

Salem Police officers were called to the area just after 6 a.m. Sunday for a report of a deceased person behind a building on the 1700 block of Center.

Detectives responded and their investigation found the man's death was not a result of foul play, said Angela Hedrick, spokesperson for the Salem Police Department. The police aren't investigating his death further.

Next of kin have been notified. Police are not naming him because the incident was not criminal in nature, Hedrick said in an email to the Statesman Journal.

Joseph Wheeler, who approached a reporter in the area Sunday, said he'd known the man who died for a year and he "became a brother" to him in that time. The man had fixed the roof of Wheeler's house in Salem.

"He was someone that would give you the shirt off his back, every time," Wheeler said. "Whether you needed it or not, he would have given you the shirt off his back."

"This town's going to be a bit darker without (him)," he said. "So, please portray him in the right light. He's never done anything to hurt anyone. He should be one that is actually recognized in this town for the places he's been, the things he's worked on. The guy's had a career of taking care of others."

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Man found dead at 17th and Center streets NE in Salem early Sunday