STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) - A man found dead in a Stamford park last week has been identified by police as a 43-year-old father of four from Guatemala, the second homeless man from the Central American country to be found dead within a week in the frigid cold in Connecticut.
The body of Samuel Gonzalez was discovered by a city worker near a bathroom at Cummings Park on March 4.
An autopsy was inconclusive about how Gonzalez died, but there were no signs of a criminal act, Lt. Diedrich Hohn told The Advocate of Stamford (https://bit.ly/OkKOf7). Toxicology tests may help determine the cause of death, he said.
Authorities notified Gonzalez’s wife about his death with the help of the Guatemalan consulate.
On Feb. 27 another man from Guatemala, Francisco Perez, was found frozen to death in Danbury. Volunteers and clients of a homeless shelter in the city said he had voluntarily left the shelter in the middle of the night a few hours before his death.
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy cited the death of Perez on Tuesday as he urged Congress to provide additional money to provide housing for homeless people more quickly.
“This tragic death should serve as a wake-up call to Congress and the Appropriations Committee,” Murphy said. He urged the committee to include $300 million in the budget for homeless assistance grants, as requested by President Barack Obama.
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Information from: The Advocate, https://www.stamfordadvocate.com
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