28th St homeless man beaten to death

WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) - A homeless man found dead in a wooded area off of 28th Street Wednesday was beaten, police say.

Edward Schmeling, 54, described by authorities as a "known transient," was found dead Wednesday by one of the men who lived in a makeshift home in the 1500 block of 28th Street Southwest, people who work in the area told 24 Hour News 8.

Wyoming police say an autopsy performed Thursday morning confirmed that blunt force trauma was involved in Schmeling's death.

With the hustle and bustle of 28th Street, it's difficult see a small encampment in the wooded area. The encampment was likely home three or four men, complete with knickknacks, food and clothing.

But the area got a lot of attention Wednesday around 9 a.m., after people who work in this area said a man frantically came out of the woods.

He was on the phone with 911, saying he had found a man dead.

Emergency responders soon arrived in the 1500 block of 28th Street SW and found Schmeling's body near an encampment in the wooded lot.

His death is being termed "suspicious" and investigators are looking into all the circumstances.

Police collected bags of evidence from the area. Pools of blood were seen near the handbuilt shack in the encampment.

Police spoke to those working near by in the commercial area on their search for clues.

"He had said that they were investigating a murder and that's all he could say and that it was very -- it was bad, it was just really bad," said Ashley Mason, a worker at one nearby business.

Schmeling was released from prison last year in the spring after the end of a sentence for the latest in a laundry list of convictions.

Shmeling was known by others in the area as a man with some anger problems, 24 Hour News 8 was told. Among others on his wrap sheet, he had three convictions for malicious destruction of property.

A few weeks ago, Mason captured a snapshot of Schmeling doing what he and the other men who lived with him were known for: sorting through a dumpster for anything they could use.

While contact with the men was minimal, she knew they were there, living a life that seemed of little consequence to anyone else.

"I feel like nobody does care and that somebody should," said Mason.

Investigators continue to search for a suspect and are asking anyone with information on what happened to contact Silent Observer at (616) 774-2345.