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Police were called in to investigate the discovery of a body found just north of the downtown area.

Barricades and police tape were brought in to block off an alley near 113th Avenue and 116th Street.

The body had been found face down by a woman driving to work at about 7:30 a.m. November 28th, 2007. After checking for a pulse, the woman called police.

Investigators initially classed the discovery as a suspicious death. Homicide detectives were advised but did not lead the case.

"We haven't ruled anything out at this point," a police spokesman said. "The weather could be a factor, it could be vehicular, it could be many things at this point."

The city's unseasonably cold overnight temperatures reached - 21 Celsius. The man's body was not found near a shelter but rather in the middle of the lane way.

The man's body remained in place for much of the day as forensic technicians documented the scene.

Officers were seen going door-to-door in the Prince Rupert neighbourhood looking for anyone with information about the man.

Media too canvassed the neighbourhood, first knocking on the door of Darcy Degirolamo whose house backed onto the alley.

"Yeah. A guy's laying in the back alley in behind my fence – he's face down in the alley way there. It doesn't look good.

"He looks dressed proper and everything. I just don't understand why he would be laying there unless there's foul play or something – it's hard to say.

"Don't know who he is or what's going on with him. But if they're suspecting foul play or not – maybe he got hit by a car – maybe he's just a transient passed out in cold weather.

“It's in my backyard. It's kind of freaky. You don't expect it to happen. But I guess somebody's got to die somewhere.”

Gord Duffy expressed his reaction when told of police activity in his normally peaceful neighbourhood.

"I'm pretty shocked to tell you the truth – it's pretty quiet here. You know, I mean [gee] it's just people who work, go to work and come home – that's it."

Two workers at a youth home in the area spoke to media. A man named Ken may have been the last person to see the victim alive.

"When I went home I went down to the corner around down the alley. There was a younger fellow over at the corner – he looked pretty cold but he was moving good," he said.

Ken's co-worker offered her insights.

"We do get a lot of transient people wandering through back alleys, sifting through garbages. So it was kind of a thought that it was someone, mmmm, too cold."

Later in the day police said the man likely suffered a “medical episode.”

“We believe right now it's non-criminal,” Det. Dave Morrissey told media, adding that authorities weren't ruling out weather as a factor in his death.

“It certainly could be the cold, for sure,” said Morrissey.

The victim was identified as a 34-year-old resident of the area who had left his home at about one in the morning. His name was withheld at the request of his family.

On November 30th, 2007 an autopsy determined the man's death was non-criminal.

The exact cause of his death was yet to be determined by the medical examiner through toxicology results that usually take several months.

Police stated they were no longer investigating the matter.

deadmonton 2007 - november crime report - man dies in alley