Man Found Dead on Billings Street

The Gazette reports that a 62-year old man was found dead Sunday morning on a sidewalk near the intersection of Montana Avenue and North 27th Street in Billings.  Police report at about 7:30 a.m., a body was discovered in front of St. Vincent de Paul’s Montana Avenue office.  The deceased man is believed to have been a transient, found by other people sleeping in the area, according to Sgt. Shane Winden.

The man’s cause of death is under investigation.  Exposure and known health conditions are both possible factors.  He had warm clothes and a sleeping bag with a low temperature rating.  The National Weather Service recorded temperatures as low as zero overnight.  Montana Rescue Mission and the Community Crisis Center work with people facing hazardous conditions created by frigid temperatures.  Rev. Glenn Fournier, MRM’s program director, said the shelter has operated under its “code blue” policy since October.