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Man found dead beneath Salisbury bridge may have froze to death

SALISBURY, N.C. — Police told Channel 9 that subfreezing temperatures may have contributed to the death of a man found under a bridge in Salisbury early Monday morning.

Officials said 74-year-old Robert Doyle was found around 8:30 a.m. beneath the bridge in the 600 block of Statesville Boulevard, near the Brian Center.

Doyle was not a resident there and authorities told Channel 9 he was homeless.

There were no signs of foul play and overnight temperatures were in the mid-teens, which is why officials believe Doyle may have frozen to death.

Rowan Helping Ministries, a local homeless shelter, was not at capacity Monday night or during the cold snap earlier this month.

Workers there encourage homeless people and those who know them to reach out and get help before the frigid temperatures and snow arrives Tuesday night.

"We can see what we can do for you,” Erica Taylor, who works at the shelter, said. “If we don’t have an immediate availability or can’t help you, we will do whatever it takes to find that person the help they need.”

His body has been sent to the medical examiner’s office.

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