SLO police find dead body in vehicle near Sunset Drive-In

San Luis Obispo police found a man dead in his vehicle on Friday morning south of downtown after his friends tried and failed to contact him.

Police received a call for a welfare check about 10:02 a.m. and responded to South Higuera Street and Elks Lane, said Lt. Chad Pfarr.

The 68-year-old man had gone to a movie at the nearby Sunset Drive-In with friends on Thursday night and opted to sleep in his car rather than drive home afterward, the friends told police.

The man was known to police because he was previously unhoused, but had obtained housing outside San Luis Obispo before his death, Pfarr said.

The man’s friends tried to contact him on Friday morning, but they were unable to reach him. They drove back to the area where they left him and contacted emergency services when they found his vehicle, Pfarr said.

Police believe the man died of a medical issue, not due to any suspicious circumstances, Pfarr said. Officials are contacting the man’s next of kin and have not yet released his identity.