Authorities in Denver are investigating why a body discovered in a parking garage elevator remained there for what may have been nearly a month.
Police had not identified the victim or the cause of death as of Wednesday, Aug. 2. According to Denver7 , the victim is a male.
Local residents noticed a putrid smell in the hallway of Woodstream Village Apartments and notified the building’s management about two weeks ago.
“It’s pretty concerning that they would just kind of blow us off and it’s turned out to be something so serious,” said Keith Messina, one of the tenants.
One local resident told Denver7 that she saw fliers about a missing senior posted around the neighborhood back in July. According to the fliers, the man disappeared on July 5.
Police did not confirm where the body was found. Denver Fire Capt. Greg Pixley was inspecting a nearby property with the maintenance supervisor from the same company.
The supervisor had to cut the inspection short when he received the call about a body being found.
“He said he had to cancel the inspection,” Pixley said.
Fire crews asked if they could help.
“As an emergency medical technician, all Denver firefighters have the responsibility to provide emergency medical care, if they can. Unfortunately, in this circumstance, there was not that possibility.”
The elevator in the garage met the fire code standards in 2016 and had the permits for 2017, according to Pixley.
The elevator was not working and few people parked in the garage during the summer months, locals said. It is unclear why the elevator technicians were not called.
Denver7 contacted Greystar, a company that manages nearly three-quarters of the apartment communities in Denver, but has not yet received a response.
