[StBernard] St. Bernard authorities identify man found in ditch Aug. 7, after notifying family

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard authorities identify man found in ditch Aug. 7, after notifying
family

Print Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Benjamin
Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
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on August 18, 2014 at 4:08 PM, updated August 18, 2014 at 4:16 PM

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office on Monday released the name of the
53-year-old man found dead along a ditch in Chalmette on Aug. 7, saying it
has notified relatives in Alabama.

Stephen Somerville, who carried no form of identification, had no permanent
address and apparently had been living outdoors, according to the Sheriff's
Office. He eventually was identified through his fingerprints, authorities
said.

An autopsy on Aug. 8 determined that there were no physical signs of trauma
to Somerville's body. Toxicology results, which could help determine a cause
of death, still are pending.

A parish government worker found Somerville in a ditch on the west side of
Paris Road at Agriculture Road, just north of Nunez Community College,
according to the Sheriff's Office.

It was the second dead body found in a public area in Chalmette in less than
a month. On July 24, a woman found the the body of another 53-year-old man,
later identified as Gary Casey of Chalmette, on the steps next to a rock
structure in Sidney D. Torres Memorial Park. 

An autopsy conducted the next day also determined no physical signs of
trauma and toxicology results also remain pending in that case.