This article has been updated.
JANESVILLE -- Two days after a death on the same site, another homeless man was found dead Tuesday in a wooded area along the Rock River near the Mercy Health Mall on North Washington St.
Officers on the scene said the man found on Tuesday and another homeless man found dead on Sunday had been friends. Officers said they had spoken on Sunday to the man who later died, in relation to his friend.
Janesville police were on the scene late Tuesday morning near the intersection of North Washington St. and West Memorial Drive, near the Mercy Health Mall and the Kiwanis Bike Trail segment of the National Ice Age Trail.
Police confirmed the death of the homeless man in an area that, around 11 a.m., was cordoned off with yellow tape.
The scene is also near Gifts Mens Shelter, 1025 N Washington St.
A spokesperson at Gifts Mens Shelter told The Gazette that neither man had been staying there.
The man’s tent house was visible on the property, where he apparently had been sleeping until he moved to a gazebo there to escape heavy rain.
A medical examiner’s van was on the scene around 11:25 a.m. Tuesday.
Police had no information on his cause of death.
The man found Tuesday was apparently well known locally.
Onlookers who gathered in the area Tuesday said his name was Gerard. They said he was a friendly, gentle man, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who went by the nickname "Captain." They did not know the man’s last name.
Onlookers also said the man had started sleeping on the site.
Shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday, a stretcher bearing a covered body was lifted into a van and police began taking down the tape and clearing the scene.
In a release late Tuesday afternoon, the Janesville Police Department offered more details on the discovery of the two deaths.
Officers responded to the site in the 1000 block of North Washington St. around 3:45 p.m. Sunday, the release said, in response to a 911 call about an unresponsive man. The 911 call was made by acquaintance, the release said.
Officers and paramedics found the man lying near the gazebo. Despite life-saving measures being taken, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Tuesday, officers responded to the same site in response to a report of an unresponsive man, who had been found by a bystander.
Officers found the man in the gazebo. Despite life-saving measures being taken, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Rock County Medical Examiner's Office responded to the scene both days.
Investigators said there were no signs of trauma nor of foul play, and said there was no public safety threat.
The identities of the men will be released once next of kin are notified, the police department said. The investigation is ongoing.
If anyone has information about either incident, they are encouraged to call the Janesville Police Department at (608) 755-3100, the Rock County Communications Center at (608) 757-2244, Crime Stoppers at (608) 756-3636 or submit a tip on your smartphone using the P3 app.
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