Body found on sidewalk wrapped in fabric

Police are investigating after a man's body was found on a sidewalk Thursday morning along South 14th Street near Center Street.

Lafayette police Lt. Brad Hayworth told the Journal & Courier that a call came in about 7:05 a.m. to report a person found lying on the ground.

The person was a deceased male, age unknown, who appeared to be wrapped in a tent or something similar, Hayworth said.

The body was tightly wrapped in a bright orange nylon material that appeared to be knotted near his head.

Officers investigating the scene took measurements and photographs of the body without unwrapping or moving it, until Tippecanoe County Coroner's Office staff loaded it onto a gurney about 8:30 a.m.

Hayworth said examiners would take the body to the morgue, where they would unwrap it and look for any signs of injury.

He announced just before 3 p.m. that no signs of foul play or trauma were apparent and that an autopsy would be conducted 10 a.m. Friday.

Authorities have positively identified the man found dead, but they won't name him publicly until his family has been notified, Hayworth noted.

Two people who live in the apartment closest to where the body was found were taken to Lafayette police headquarters for questioning.

They were not detained nor arrested, Hayworth said, noting that it's too soon to tell whether criminal activity may have been involved.

Journal & Courier columnist Dave Bangert discovered the body while walking his dog and immediately called police.