On Monday, March 28, 2016 at about 2:10 a.m. a Humboldt County Deputy Sheriff and a Deputy Coroner responded to Jerald Phelps Hospital in Garberville for a report of a dead body found outside the hospital’s emergency room. Deputies arrived on scene and spoke with the security guard who had found the body. The security guard stated he located the body near the emergency room entrance. The body was unresponsive and declared deceased by medical personnel.
The decedent has been positively identified as a 55 year old Garberville resident. The release of his identity is pending notification of next of kin.
The Coroner’s Division is actively investigating this incident. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday, March 30, 2016.
Anyone with information for the Sheriff’s Office regarding this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Office at 707-445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at 707-268-2539.
Mike Downey
Sheriff