A 57-year-old man living homeless was found dead Tuesday morning at a campsite behind Walmart along the Animas River, said La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith.
Smith said the man did not appear to have any trauma, and a cause of death remains unknown. She said an autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.
“I think it’s a medical issue, but I’m not sure,” Smith said. “He was exposed out in the cold, but I don’t think he died from hypothermia.”
Durango Police Cmdr. Ray Shupe said the man’s next of kin was notified Tuesday, and he was identified as Dean Allen Littrell.
It appears the Littrell was living at a makeshift campsite behind Walmart for the past three months. Friends went to check on him Tuesday morning and he was found unresponsive.
Authorities responded to the scene around 8:45 a.m., Smith said. While there was a tent and sleeping bags on-site, the tent was not set up, she said. Emergency responders tried unsuccessfully to revive the Littrell.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
