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Photo by Sanne Godfreyy/The Advocate
Police examine the area where the body of a homeless man from Eugene was found Monday. Police believe he most likely died of exposure.
Corpse found near northeast corner of MHCC campus
The Advocate
A 39-year-old man whose body was found Monday near the northeast corner of the MHCC campus was recently released from prison for weapons charges and had spent the last eight to 10 years in prison for similar charges, according to Gresham police.
Detective Larry Foulke of the Gresham Police Department said Michael Charles Porter’s parole officer thought that he was staying in a halfway house in Eugene because he had trouble finding housing after his release from prison.
Neither Gresham police nor Porter’s parole officer know what he was doing in Gresham or what his connection is to the area.
Porter was known to have a history of mental illness and drug use, said Foulke, but according to the medical examiner, his death does not look like an overdose.
Neighbors in the area reported seeing Porter wandering in the area Sunday afternoon, according to Foulke, and therefore Gresham police do not believe the body was there for more than 24 hours.
MHCC Director of Facilities Management Dick Byers said, “This unfortunate incident does not appear to represent any safety concerns to students, faculty, staff or community members. However, it is important that we make the
College community aware of this death near our campus,” said Byers.
According to reports from public safety, there were no murders reported on campus between 2005 and 2008.
Foulke said the medical examiner did not find any serious injuries on Porter and it does not look like a homicide. There was a head injury but it looks as though he got that when he fell right before his death, according to Foulke.
Porter most likely died due to exposure to the elements, or hypothermia, though this is not a confirmed cause, Foulke said.
The body was found between Stark Street and the MHCC Forestry Department building, along a trail to Beaver Creek, by an employee of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who was working in the area, according to The Oregonian.
Byers said the GPS system used by Gresham police placed it outside of Troutdale’s jurisdiction and within Gresham city limits, but could not say for sure whether the body was found on MHCC property.
Byers sent an e-mail Monday that said, “College officials were notified due to the proximity of the event to the Gresham campus. MHCC Public Safety officers responded and assisted the Gresham police and other officials throughout the day.”
MHCC Public Safety officers declined to comment, but redirected questions to Vice President for College Advancement Cassie McVeety. She directed reporters to Gresham police since the case was still under investigation.
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