A 60-year-old man was found dead in his tent in the woods behind the Checkers restaurant Wednesday morning after an anonymous caller reported a foul smell coming from a blue tent in the area.
Officers from the Covington Police Department arrived and found a blue and grey camping tent in some heavy brush in the area. The tent was zipped closed and there was a foul smell emanating from it.
When the tent was unzipped officers found a man, later identified as Eric Shayne McDowell, dead inside.
CPD Captain Ken Malcom said they believed McDowell had been dead for "a couple days." However no foul play is suspected in his death and he had not been reported missing. Identification cards and a Department of Corrections card found on his body indicated McDowell lived in Tennessee and Covington.
Searching around the tent it appeared to investigators that he had been living there at least temporarily. Officers found a pet bowl and cat food near the tent and two cats roaming around the area.