Stephanie Pedersen: All alone at the very end

We don't know when Wayne Parmer died, but we do know he likely died alone.

No one deserves that.

The 60-year-old homeless man was found Tuesday in an abandoned blue house at 615 23rd St. in Columbus.

The Muscogee County Coroner's Office says Parmer died from cardiac arrest.

When we go to a crime scene, there's rarely much information that's available, so we're forced to observe our surroundings.

Law enforcement officials are busy doing their jobs. Usually when they're finishing up at the scene, they'll release some information to the media.

Tuesday afternoon, Lt. Consuelo Askew told us they didn't believe foul play was involved but Parmer's body was badly decomposed. She said he'd likely been there for over a week, which was obvious to anyone standing around. At least five or six officials went into the house in hazmat suits.

Other officials wore face masks. The smell from the street where no one was really a "neighbor" sunk into your bones. It was dreary with a light mist at times. The weather matched the street that connects Veterans Parkway and Hamilton Road: dark and gloomy.

There was a group hanging around across the street when I arrived.

Before one woman saw my media badge, she asked me if I knew the victim.

"No," I said.

"I think I do," she said.

Everyone around the scene knew who he was before his name officially was released.

Wayne. You know, the tall, slender fellow?

It quickly circulated through the street, where at least by my count a dozen folks walked by to see if anyone knew what happened to him.

The woman I was talking to was homeless. She said she was certain she knew him from SafeHouse.

Another homeless man said Wayne talked a lot and made people laugh.

"What about his family?" I asked.

"Never mentioned them," he said.

In fact, Parmer never listed a visitor when he was once in the Muscogee County Jail. The coroner's office has not been able to find a next of kin.

But he had a group of people worried about him. Askew said a friend found him. I wonder if he knew they cared. They stood around for at least an hour or two, hoping the news that had circulated through their tight community wasn't true.

Most of the people stood in front of the blue house with the fallen limb hanging from the roof. But there was a group, including the woman I spoke to, that went to the back where they say Wayne was found. They had to watch the officials pull Wayne out. They had to know.

They say Wayne loved to play gospel music on the piano. He was kind, humble and funny.

Because next of kin hasn't been found, the coroner's office has tentatively set a funeral for 1 p.m. Friday at East Porterdale Cemetery in Columbus.

Wayne may have died alone, but hopefully he'll have friends around him Friday.

Contact Stephanie Pedersen, senior editor, at spedersen@ledger-enquirer.com.

This story was originally published October 28, 2015 at 11:04 PM with the headline "Stephanie Pedersen: All alone at the very end ."