Man found dead inside Cleveland grocery store’s air ducts, police say
CLEVELAND, Ohio May 2 2020— An exterminator discovered a dead body in the air duct of a grocery store in the city’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood, police said.
Cleveland police Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said it appeared that the man entered the ducts on his own and that investigators noted no obvious signs of violence on the man’s body. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner has not released the identity of the man, nor his cause of death.
The pest exterminator discovered the body about 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Save A lot on Kinsman Avenue and East 143rd Street, police said.
A store manager called the exterminator on Wednesday after noticing a foul odor emanating from the ducts, according to police. Investigators have not determined how the man managed to climb into the ducts.
Cleveland firefighters used a large electric saw to cut a hole in the top of the roof to help recover the man’s body. Cleveland police homicide investigators also used a hatch on top of the roof to access the ducts while investigating the death.
A statement from Save A Lot President and CEO Kenneth McGrath said the company is “working in full cooperation” with Cleveland police and that the store will be temporarily closed.
“We are deeply saddened by this incident and our thoughts are with the family of the deceased,” McGrath’s statement said.
Albert Collins, who lives in the neighborhood, said his 53-year-old brother, Daniel, went missing on April 21. Missing person fliers were posted at several businesses in the area.
Daniel Collins lived directly behind the store, his brother said. Albert Collins and other family members remained at the scene in the hopes of learning more from investigators.
