The bodies of two homeless men found dead on the streets of Anchorage last week were identified by police Tuesday, although what killed them and four others who died recently remains a mystery.

Police say Edwin Wheeler, 45, and Joseph Ferreira, 53, were found in Fairview last week, bringing the number of bodies found in parks or on streets in a month's time to six.

Ferreira, originally from Kotzebue, was found June 3 lying outside an apartment building at 1004 Ingra St. A resident saw him gurgling and apparently intoxicated as she was leaving; when she returned about an hour later he had stopped breathing and there was blood coming from his mouth, according to police.

Just two days earlier and a few blocks away, the body of Edwin Wheeler, 45, turned up near a picnic table outside another apartment building at 436 E. 11th Ave. A woman found the Bethel resident lying face-up on the ground near the table about 5 a.m. with alcohol bottles and cans nearby, police said.

"I guess he's kind of known in the downtown area also, being a harmonica-playing, black trench-coat-wearing kind of a character who would oftentimes play his harmonica for people," police spokeswoman Anita Shell said.

According to court records, both men have lengthy criminal histories, mostly including theft, trespassing and disorderly conduct charges.

Shell said neither man -- nor three of the other four bodies -- had any signs of trauma. Police are still awaiting results of toxicology screenings, which can take more than a month to complete, and have not determined the cause of death in any of the cases, she said.

The other four men found dead were:

• Danny Wright, 56, of Anchorage, was found May 16, submerged in Campbell Creek near 48th Avenue and Lake Otis Parkway. He had suffered a head laceration that remains under investigation.

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

• Simeon Boots, 38, of Anchorage, was found May 14 on the ground at the edge of woods in Campbell Park, where Laurel Street meets Campbell Creek south of Tudor Road.

• Stanley Ivey, 58, of Anchorage, was found May 7 in park woods at 20th Avenue and Karluk Street.

Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.

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