A man is dead after being "severely assaulted" sometime early Wednesday morning, according to the Anchorage Police Department. At 6:51 a.m., a call arrived at police dispatch that the man, who hasn't been publicly identified, was discovered outside Anchorage Community Mental Health Services, located not far from Providence Hospital in midtown Anchorage.
According to Anchorage police Sgt. Glen Daily, the man had assault wounds "all over his body."
Daily said the middle-age man, who was discovered by a clinic employee, had been sleeping in the entryway to the mental health clinic for several hours before he was discovered. Daily, one of about six police investigators on scene, said the heavy early-morning rainfall is a factor in the investigation process. The man was protected from the rain, but his belongings were scattered throughout the parking lot. According to Daily, the downpour makes finding fingerprints and trace evidence a challenge.
Investigators are looking at surveillance tapes from the mental health clinic and surrounding businesses. "We are trying to recreate his movement," Daily said.
The man was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. APD is investigating his death as homicide.
Contact Megan Edge at megan(at)alaskadispatch.com. Follow her on Twitter @Megtedge