Police have identified the man found dead at the intersection of East Lafayette and Cedar streets Monday morning.
Wiley Ottis Layton, 60, was found by police at 5:52 a.m., following a call about a report of a black male lying on the sidewalk.
Neighbors near the scene said they did not recognize the man.
ěSalisbury Police said it was a heart attack,î neighbor Doug Johnson said, ěbut a heart attack isnít going to have that much blood.î
Blood stains were visible near the sidewalk on Cedar Street Monday afternoon. According to residents, the body was about 10 feet from the intersection of Cedar and East Lafayette Street.
Johnson said heís also concerned with how authorities handled the incident. Johnson said the incident happened about 5 a.m., but that the body remained uncovered until long after.
ěThey didnít even cover it up,î he said. ěAll the kids saw it.î
Another neighbor, Jawan Little, said he called emergency services after seeing the body.
ěI came over here this morning and I saw him laying there,î Little said. ěI never seen him before. I called the ambulance and the fire truck.î
Neighbor Brittany Banks lives about 30 feet from where the incident occurred, but said she didnít hear anything.
ěWhen I came out this morning, I saw the dead body laying right there,î she said. ěIt was so quiet. You couldnít hear nothing.î
Travis Parker, a neighbor across the street from Banks, said he heard a noise, but isnít sure if itís connected.
ěI heard a little tap,î Parker said. ěThatís all I heard.î
The Criminal Investigations Division was called to the scene. They discovered Layton had some sort of injury to the back of his head. It wasnít known if the injury was the result of a fall or of an assault.
Police are treating the death as suspicious and continuing to investigate.
Police ask anyone with information to call police at 704-638-5333 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.