MANCHESTER, NH – UPDATE: Dec. 27, 2020: Police have identified the man who was found dead inside a car on Saturday morning as Cody Ferry, 26, no fixed address. The cause of death is not yet determined, but it does not appear to be suspicious, police said Sunday.
Original story begins: Manchester police are investigating the discovery Saturday morning of a man found dead inside a vehicle underneath a tarp at a homeless encampment near the banks of the Merrimack River behind Delta Dental Stadium on South Commercial Street.
At around 8:30 a.m. Manchester fire and AMR were dispatched to the boat ramp for a report of an unresponsive male in a vehicle. Firefighters immediately reported the person was deceased, and requested that Manchester police respond. Police blocked off the boat ramp and detectives arrived at about 9 a.m.
The NH State Medical Examiner arrived a short time later, followed by personnel from a local funeral home, which transported the body from the scene.
Manchester Police Lt. Shawn McCabe verified that a deceased adult male was found at the scene, and at this time the untimely death is being investigated by Manchester Police. The victim’s age ad identity were being withheld pending notification of family.
The boat ramp area was the scene of an incident on December 2, 2020, in which Manchester fire department was called to the boat ramp area where the water level from the Merrimack river had risen flooding many tents, and leaving people stranded. Fire crews rescued the people but no one was hurt in the incident.
This is the third death under investigation by police in the month of December in areas occupied by homeless camps.
On December 1, 2020, Justi Dexter, 40, was found dead at an encampment under the Bridge Street Bridge.
On December 5, 2020, the body of Gary Silver, 64, was found in a tent that had caught on fire. That death was investigated by the NH fire Marshal’s Office, Manchester police and fire. Initial investigation shows that it appeared the man died from smoke inhalation from the fire. The cause and origin of the fire continue to be investigated.
