Police On Burglary Call Find Body Apparent Shooting Victim Found In Trailer; Passers-By Detained For Questioning

Police responding to a burglary-in-progress call found a man dead inside a Hillyard home Thursday. He apparently had been shot, detectives said.

Officers were sent to 3715 E. Rich about 4:30 a.m. after someone called to report a man trying to break into a trailer there.

The first patrol officers on the scene found a man dead just inside the front door, Sgt. Jerry Frye said.

They then cordoned off the area and called in detectives and crime scene technicians, who spent most of the morning gathering evidence.

Several people who were in and around the trailer when officers arrived were taken to the Public Safety Building for questioning, Frye said. They included Darlene Straghen, who lives in the black and white single-wide with her two small children.

No arrests had been made late Thursday. Attempts to reach Straghen for comment were unsuccessful.

An autopsy likely will be performed on the body today, said Lt. Jim Culp of the major crimes unit. Detectives plan to withhold the man’s name and cause of death until then, Culp said.

A woman claiming to be Straghen’s friend said the incident was probably related to drugs.

“She’s into that,” said the woman, who wouldn’t give her name. “I’ve told her that she needs to step back from that stuff.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo Map of area