Man found dead in no-parking-zone truck

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) - A man was found dead in his pickup truck in Kalamazoo -- a case that is not a homicide but labeled suspicious by authorities.

Stuart Neighborhood residents told 24 Hour News 8 they first saw the maroon pickup truck parked in a no-parking zone in the 200 block of Stuart Avenue as early as Tuesday afternoon. The vehicle then received a parking ticket at 2:40 a.m. Wednesday.

"I saw the first parking ticket and my initial thought was, 'Oh that's too bad for them,'" neighbor Jessica Fischer told 24 Hour News 8.

Another parking ticket was issued at 2:23 a.m. Thursday.

Both tickets, issued by an employee of Central City Parking, a private company, were jammed in the driver's side door.

Police told 24 Hour News 8 it is not known if Earle's body was in the truck when Central City Parking issued the tickets.

"A second ticket means you need to look, check up on what's going on, instead of add another ticket," said neighbor Graham Foley. "A ticket on top of a ticket is absurd."

"I assume somebody went out of town, but I didn't think to look in the truck," said Fischer.

A passerby called 911 Thursday night and said he saw the pickup truck still parked after first seeing the vehicle there around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Members of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety responded to the scene Thursday night and saw the victim unresponsive and slumped over in the passenger's seat.

Jayme Earle, 26, from Richland was pronounced dead at the scene.

There were no signs of foul play, and the cause of death is unknown as an autopsy will be performed, police said. Toxicology report results could take several weeks.

Earle was a father of two children and lived with his mother and stepfather. His mother reported him missing Thursday after one of his co-worker's told her that he hadn't been to work in two days.

His mother told 24 Hour News 8 she can't understand why his body went undiscovered for so long.

She described her son as happy. He worked as a full-time forklift operator and had no criminal record.

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety's Criminal Investigation Division is continuing the investigation. Authorities will talk with the Central City Parking employee who issued the tickets.

24 Hour News 8 tried contacting Central City Parking but did not receive a response.

Anyone with more information about this incident is asked to call Silent Observer at 269.343.2100 or KDPS at 269.337.8994.