Anchorage Daily News

Two more of the four men found dead outdoors in Anchorage during a 10-day stretch this month have been identified by police.

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Police don't suspect foul play in the first three deaths but the fourth man suffered a head laceration and police are trying to determine if it was the result of an assault or an accident.

The two men whose names were released Monday are:

• Wesley Small, a 50-year-old Anchorage man whose body was found in a tent by a passer-by on May 12 in the area of Third Avenue and Orca Street.

• Simeon Boots, a 38-year-old Anchorage man who was found Thursday on the ground at the edge of woods in Campbell Park, where Laurel Street meets Campbell Creek south of Tudor Road. A man passing through the park found the body, tried to wake him up, and didn't get any response, police said. There also were no signs of foul play, but an autopsy was conducted to be sure, police said.

The body of another Anchorage man, Stanley Ivey, 58, was found May 7 and previously identified. A crew participating in the spring cleanup found his body in the woods of a park at 20th Avenue and Karluk Street.

The fourth body was found Saturday, submerged in Campbell Creek near the baseball field of Campbell Creek Park at 48th Avenue and Lake Otis Parkway. Police are still trying to confirm his identify and notify his family.

The first three men were identified through fingerprints.

The fourth man was found within 100 yards of the spot where Simeon Boots' body was discovered. This man suffered a head wound, and a full autopsy is planned.

All four of the men were "familiar with life on the streets of Anchorage," Anchorage police Lt. Dave Parker said. It's likely some went back and forth between the woods, shelters and relatives, as many of Anchorage's chronically homeless people do, Parker said.

The deaths don't appear related, police say. The state medical examiner and Anchorage homicide detectives, who investigate unexpected, non-accidental deaths, are involved.

It usually takes two to eight weeks to determine a cause of death, said Greg Wilkinson, a spokesman for the state Department of Health and Social Services.

The state medical examiner took blood samples for toxicology tests, which are being done Outside. The tests look for alcohol and commonly abused drugs including cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana and certain prescription medicines, Wilkinson said.

The state medical examiner did an external exam of the first two bodies, but not a full autopsy, Wilkinson said.

Parker said he thinks detectives wanted an autopsy of Boots' body because his was the third found outdoors in such a short time.

"That was concerning. They wanted to make sure there wasn't something they were missing," Parker said. Boots also was younger than the first two.

Among things police want to see is if any died of alcohol poisoning or, perhaps, fell asleep or passed out and then succumbed to hypothermia.

"Hypothermia is most dangerous in the spring and fall," Parker said. Sunny daytime weather can lull a person into thinking the night will be mild too. But nights are still chilly, he said. Wilkinson said hypothermia can set in with temperatures in the 50s.

The men who have been identified all had past trouble with the law.

Boots lived for years in Bethel. He has convictions there for assault, criminal trespass and resisting arrest, according to a database of court records. It's not clear how long he lived in Anchorage, but he had three court cases here, including one in 2006 for drunken driving and disorderly conduct that involved spitting on an officer, plus an assault conviction last year. A year ago, a landlord tried to evict him, but neither side showed up for the court hearing and the case was dismissed.

Wesley Small may have been new to Alaska. No one by that name got a Permanent Fund dividend, though a Wesley Smalls did in the 1990s, according to a dividend database.

In March, Small was convicted of disorderly conduct that involved challenging someone to fight in Anchorage. He was sentenced to five days in jail.

Ivey, the man earlier identified, also had a record in Anchorage, including convictions for assault, trespass and drunken driving, the court record database shows.

Find Lisa Demer online at adn.com/contact/ldemer or call 257-4390.

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