NORWICH — Local police say the death of an unidentified man whose body was found partially buried in Mohegan Park over the weekend has been ruled a homicide.
Police said the man was Black or Hispanic and between the ages of 35 and 50. His remains had been autopsied as of Monday evening, police said.
The body was discovered by a passerby walking through Mohegan Park Sunday afternoon. Just before 4:15 p.m. Sunday, the passerby “noticed something protruding from the ground,” a Norwich police spokesperson said.
“Believing that it might be a person, he called the Norwich Police Department to report his findings,” Lt. Anthony Gomes said Monday.
Gomes said responding patrol officers discovered the person’s body in a shallow grave. He had been fatally shot, Gomes said. Evidence located at the scene indicated the killing did not occur inside the park and represented a “targeted attack” on the victim, Gomes said.
The man stood approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighed 150 to 160 pounds and had black hair styled in box braids, according to Gomes. He was also missing his top four front teeth and had a goatee or short beard, Gomes said.
No description of the clothing he was wearing at the time of his death was available, according to Gomes.
The investigation is ongoing, Gomes said.
Anyone with information can contact lead Detective Ken Wright at 860-886-5561, ext. 3159, or the department tip line at 860-886-5561 and select option number 4.
