Officials have not released a preliminary cause of death or said more about the circumstances surrounding Adams’ death. On the incident report, under victim injury, the report said “none.”
The city worker who found Adams shortly before 3 p.m. told investigators he was performing a routine sewage drain check in the 2000 block of Sturgeon Street near West Auburn Avenue. The checks are performed weekly, the worker said, noting the last time this drain — one of 50 combined sewage and rain lines that run through manholes — had been checked was Dec. 19.
The line is at the rear of a residence on Sturgeon.
The city worker told officers he saw the deceased person lying face down at the bottom of the sewage line and called 911.
Officers collected evidence, and personnel from Springfield Fire Rescue Division assisted in removing the body from the drain. First responders were hazmat suits at the scene, according to a witness.
The Clark County Coroner’s Office removed Adams’ body at 5:50 p.m.