Coroners have identified a man found dead Friday near the
railroad tracks as 73-year-old David Sneddon.
Gilroy – Coroners have identified a man found dead Friday near the railroad tracks as 73-year-old David Sneddon.
Sneddon was found east of the Longhouse Restaurant at the crossing of Howson and Monterey streets. His cause of death is still being determined, and toxicology reports have yet to be completed. Police are not currently investigating the death as suspicious, said Gilroy Police Sgt. Jim Gillio, who said the man appeared to be transient.
Waitress Sandra Gorman was organizing menus when an unidentified homeless man came in, agitated, asking her to call 911. He spoke little English, she said, but was able to tell her, “I think there’s a guy dead across the street.”
Gorman dialed 911, then followed the homeless man out across Monterey Street to where Sneddon’s body lay in the grass. A blanket and a basket full of belongings lay beside him, Gorman said.
The man appeared to be sleeping, and there were no cuts, bruises or signs of distress on his body, she said. Gorman shook him, then took his pulse. She lay her hand on his heart. Nothing. The two of them said a prayer, then walked back to the restaurant.
Gorman frequently sees homeless people at the Longhouse Restaurant, which is often visited by transients asking for cups of water or ice, she said, but had never before seen Sneddon.
“Later on, it really hit me,” she said. “I started crying. That poor guy.”
