Roy was on his way to school when he saw a dead man lying on the northwest corner of Desoto and Washtenaw. He was on the southeast corner when he spotted the body so he crossed over to have a closer look. The man was fully dressed, shabby as his coat and trousers were, stretched out flat on his back. His unshaven face was dirt-blackened, his eyes were closed. At first Roy was not certain the man was dead, so he spoke to him.