WAUKESHA 鈥 Deb and Tom Biever walk around Frame Park multiple times a week to enjoy the scenery such as the calming water, ducks, turtles and the birds. On Thursday morning, they discovered a dead body in the Fox River.
"I said to my husband, 鈥榃ell that is a big turtle.鈥 We got a little bit closer and he said, 鈥楴o Deb, that is a body,鈥" Deb Biever said.
Quickly she realized her husband was correct. The body appeared to be of a shirtless male on his stomach but the head was not visible.
"It must have been hanging off lower in the water. His back was kind of hunched over like a turtle shell would be and that is what caught my eye," she said.
The couple didn鈥檛 have cellphones with them and flagged down a city Park and Recreation employee to call police.
Tom Biever said the body was 4 feet from the river鈥檚 edge.
The couple said people are surprised at how calm they were.
鈥淵ou got to know us. We are really into the 鈥楥SI,鈥 true crime stuff. We like murder mysteries. I think the officers probably thought the same thing that we are a pretty calm couple,鈥 Deb Biever said.
A body was pulled out of the Fox River at 9:38 a.m., SM天地论坛 Police Capt. Dan Baumann confirmed. Police presence was spotted across the river from the playground at Frame Park. The SM天地论坛 County Medical Examiner鈥檚 Office said it couldn鈥檛 release any information when asked to confirm if anyone there was dispatched.
SM天地论坛 police and fire units responded to an area in the Fox River 400 feet south of Moreland Boulevard on the north side of the Riverwalk around Frame Park. City of SM天地论坛 forestry personnel were working in the area when the discovery was made. The SM天地论坛 Fire Department was able to recover the body.
鈥淲hat we now know is the deceased is a male. We located articles of clothing in close proximity to the body along the shore. The individual was wearing shorts when discovered in the river. Initially, there were no obvious signs of trauma to the body. With any death investigation we will work with the SM天地论坛 County Medical Examiner鈥檚 Office to positively identify this person as well as, determine manner and cause of death. These types of investigation can take time,鈥 Baumann said.
Incidents in the area
In the past months, Frame Park and the surrounding area has made headlines regarding things such as two stabbings and a homeless encampment. Deb and Tom Biever have experienced the homeless community in the park. They recently bumped into a friend who is in the SM天地论坛 Rotary Club.
鈥淚 told him when he is in his Rotary meeting to bring up the homeless thing,鈥 she said.
Deb and Tom Biever don鈥檛 find homeless people bothersome but they do ask for money and other items.
鈥淚鈥檓 happy to have Tom with me, he is 6(-foot-)2. I might be a little bit fearful to walk around the Riverwalk by myself. It is becoming quite a situation. They are sleeping and they are dirty and they leave garbage around,鈥 Deb Biever said.
She pointed out how she tells people how cool SM天地论坛 is and the cool things happening in the city.
鈥淚 feel bad, but I know a lot of cities have it (homelessness),鈥 she said.
In late August, Adam Malinski, 47 was charged after allegedly stabbing a homeless man and beating another homeless man in the area of Barstow and Bank streets.
A criminal complaint said a police officer noted there has been an uptick in violence among the homeless community and Malinski in particular has allegedly been involved in significant fights. One of the accusations involved Malinski allegedly pulling out a knife.
Daniel R. Goralski, 38, was charged in connection to a May stabbing. A stabbing was reported in the area of 101 Union St., where SM天地论坛 police found a man bleeding from his chest and arm. The victim told officers he was allegedly stabbed by 鈥淒aniel,鈥 who he didn鈥檛 personally know.
The alleged victim said he is homeless and was walking around downtown asking people for money. He went to Discount Liquor and then by the river on the Barstow Bridge, the complaint said.
When they were near the river dam and dragonfly statue, the alleged victim said a man he didn鈥檛 recognize approached him. The two men exchanged words and the alleged victim heard the man say, 鈥淚鈥檓 going to stab you,鈥 the complaint said. Goralski allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim in the chest and arm. Officers could smell a strong odor of alcohol and Goralski said he drank a half pint of Captain Morgan, the complaint said.
Encampment
A homeless encampment on White Rock Avenue and Moreland Boulevard came into the spotlight in early May after police were called to clear it out. Days earlier, police responded to a report of a homeless woman who punched a man because he refused her sexual advances. She was escorted out of the encampment.
According to property records, the land is owned by FRP Holdings, LLC. Steve Straub, the proxy for FRP Holdings, said the business was contacted in May regarding the issue of the encampment. SM天地论坛 Mayor Shawn Reilly confirmed to The Freeman that the city contacted the business owner.
Straub said in May that the owner is concerned about the encampment getting larger. He added that dwellers will be given a warning at first.
鈥淚f they still don鈥檛 leave, they will be prosecuted,鈥 he said.
In July, a fire was reported at the location, which was extinguished.
鈥淭he encampment is as expansive as ever in this area, and has certainly grown in size, persons, number of tents, etc.,鈥 the SM天地论坛 police log said.
The Crisis Response Unit has visited the encampment with the National Alliance on Mental Illness Southeast Wisconsin to offer people support and see what services they want or don鈥檛 want. If there are some stragglers still camping out, that is up to the property owner as to the enforcement actions they want.
