A hearing-impaired Georgia man was found dead Monday morning, jammed halfway inside the ventilation system of an Atlanta soul food joint in a possible botched burglary, authorities said.
Cops rushed to Walter’s Soul Food Cafe on Cleveland Avenue around 9 a.m. after receiving reports of a person stuck inside the building’s vent, the Atlanta Police Department said.
A cafe employee made the horrific discovery after spotting 37-year-old Terrika Myers wedged tight inside the shaft, with his head, arms and torso hanging out of a kitchen vent. The staffer called 911 — but when Atlanta Fire Rescue crews worked to free him, he was already dead.
“All we seen was his head. That’s all. His head and his arms,” the traumatized worker told Channel 2 Atlanta.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Myers’ identity, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday to determine his cause of death.
It’s unclear how he ended up in the ductwork. However, the local news station reported that the restaurant’s roof appears to be easy to access from the ground and Myers may have been trying to break into the business through the HVAC system atop the roof.
There were no signs of foul play, according to police.
Grieving friends and family members were left shattered by Myers’ sudden death.
“I still can’t believe I’m even having to say goodbye to you. Losing my little cousin is a pain I can’t even put into words,” Myers’ cousin, Karen Byrd, wrote in a tragic Facebook post.
“I wish we had more time, more laughs, more memories… just more time.”
A GoFundMe campaign was launched for Myers’ mother, Yolanda, to help cover unexpected funeral costs. The fundraiser noted that he was hearing-impaired.
“Terrika was known as a devoted friend, a loving family man, and someone who would help anyone in need however he could,” reads the description.
“His passing has left the Myers family heartbroken and at a loss for words.”
Neither Walter’s Soul Food Cafe nor the Atlanta Police Department immediately responded to requests for comment.
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