NEW BERN, N.C. (WITN) – Two days have passed since New Bern police found a man dead in the woods Monday night near the Tryon Estates Apartments, and now residents nearby want answers.
“We have a lot of kids here, a lot of things like that who use this as a community space, so for it to be extremely close to where we live is really concerning,” says New Bern resident Emily Shanks.
The call came in when someone was charging their electric car behind the Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q located off Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd on Monday.
Someone smelled a foul odor and called New Bern Police. At 8 p.m., they found a dead man in the woods that they say had been there for some time.
WITN has yet to learn who the man was or how he died, but New Bern police are working on contacting his family.
“It’s still a little concerning as a community that they haven’t even come by and like tell us what’s going on or anything like that,” says Shanks.
Shanks lives near the wooded area, and says she feels more fear when walking out at night after hearing Monday’s news.
“Probably won’t be walking my dog at night anytime soon. I’m very thankful that I do have somebody else with me most of the time that I can be with. But when it comes to safety, especially as a woman, we have to fear a lot of being out at night,” says Shanks.
Another resident says he too smelled a foul odor for over two weeks.
“It was coming through the window, and finally, I had to close the window. I just thought it was an animal,” says New Bern resident David Wimberley.
Both residents say they hope the community can come together and be there for the family who lost a loved one.
“A life was still lost. As a community, I feel like we need to come together and really be there for this family and this person that gone through a tragic lost,” says Shanks.
This is still an active investigation.
If you have any information about this incident, please contact the New Bern Police Department at (252) 633-2020.
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