116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Police release name of man found dead in Cedar Rapids
Police are investigating after a young man's body was found Thursday morning in southwest Cedar Rapids.
James Tamayo, 25, of Cedar Rapids, was found dead in a grassy area between two houses near the corner of Fifth Avenue and Sixth Street SW. Investigators are unsure of the cause of death, but do not suspect foul play. An autopsy has been ordered.
"Right now we don't know the cause of death, but there are no obvious signs of trauma," Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said.
A neighbor reported a person lying in the grass around 7:15 a.m. Several officers responded, and Tamayo was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators set up black partitions to block the view of the body in the high-traffic area near Taylor Elementary School. Friends and relatives gathered at the scene, consoling each other.
Family members declined to comment through a police spokeswoman.
Zach Herron, 32, of Cedar Rapids, said he saw the body around 7:30 a.m. when he drove by with his two boys. He said an ambulance was on the scene and police were taping off the area.
Herron said the man was fully clothed, wearing a white t-shirt.
"Other people had seen and spoke to him last night, but I don't know exactly when," Hamblin said.
Women cry as they stand where the body of a man in his 20s was found Thursday morning, Sept. 20, 2012, between two houses at Sixth Street and Fifth Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids after the body was removed. There were no obvious signs of trauma, and Cedar Rapids Police do not suspect foul play. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
Cedar Rapids emergency personnel remove the body of a man in his 20s Thursday morning, Sept. 20, 2012, between two houses at 6th Street and 5th Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids. There were no obvious signs of trauma, and Cedar Rapids Police do not suspect foul play. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
Daily Newsletters