When Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones showed up to investigate a man’s death on Kings Park Circle last week, he said there was no air conditioning or water inside the home where the man was found.
The person who had died — and was found Aug. 8 — was decaying inside his home. He’d been there for weeks. Jones said this is one of several cases in recent weeks, and he’s urging Macon residents to check on their neighbors to prevent it.
“If the grass is high, the car hasn’t moved, you got mail running out the mailbox, something’s wrong,” he said.
Since July, seven bodies have been found that weren’t discovered for weeks, Jones said. One was found July 2 on Donald Avenue, one on July 11 on Bristol Drive, one July 19 on Laura Ann Place, one July 25 on Ashland Drive, one Aug. 5 on West Oak Manor Court, and one Aug. 7 on Vineville Avenue. There was also the one Jones responded to Aug. 8.
None of the deaths were related, and each person died of natural causes, Jones said. But each person was dead for at least two or three weeks before their bodies were discovered, Jones said.
It’s common to see a greater amount of deceased people go unaccounted for in the summer, he added.
“It’s hot, and these bodies were badly decomposed,” Jones said. “In the heat, a body decomposes quicker than it does in the wintertime.”
Snoop Williams, 30, lives across the street from the man who was found on Kings Park Circle. He said he used to see him bike around the neighborhood. But it had been awhile since he saw the man.
“I’d see him back and forth on the bike, but no, I hadn’t seen him in a while,” Williams said. “I thought it was just the timing like I’m coming in, and he’s going out.”
James Spencer, another neighbor two houses down, said the man who died usually “kept to himself.”
Jones told The Telegraph he understands “people have privacy, but it could be a matter of someone’s life.”
He urged people to check up on their neighbors, especially elderly, sick and disabled people.
“Somebody needs to have a number to call to make sure they’re okay, they got water, power,” Jones said. “These people need to get checked on every week, some every day.”
Their bodies could have been recovered sooner if someone checked up on them, Jones said. He posted several reminders on Facebook Monday to check on neighbors and explained signs to look out for when something is wrong.
“If the windows of the house (are) covered with flies, animals in the yard that look malnourished and there’s a strong ODOR, the DOOR IS COMING DOWN,” Jones said in a Facebook post.
Residents can request a wellness check on someone by calling the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at 478-751-7500, or 911 for emergencies.
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