Anchorage

Police identify homeless men in three outdoor deaths in Anchorage

Anchorage police identified the man found dead outside in downtown Anchorage early Thursday evening as John Lory Good, 61.

Good wasn't breathing when he was found at 4:56 p.m. on the sidewalk near East Third Avenue and Karluk Street, close to the Brother Francis Shelter and Bean's Cafe, Anchorage Police Department spokesperson Renee Oistad said.

According to witness accounts given to police, Good either lay down or sat down on the sidewalk.

"There were several other homeless people nearby, and they thought Good had either passed out or was taking a nap," Oistad said. "Approximately 15 minutes later, someone in the crowd noticed Good was no longer breathing and they began CPR."

When emergency responders arrived, they administered CPR for 20 minutes before pronouncing Good dead.

Good's death is believed to have been due to natural causes, but Oistad said his body has been taken to the State Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy. It could take several weeks for police to receive the final autopsy report.

Stacey Greene, 29, said Good was a relative of hers from the Northwest Alaska village of Noorvik.

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"He liked to play cards and he was always worried about his family down here," Greene said.

Greene, of Kotzebue, said she didn't know how long Good had lived in Anchorage.

According to Greene, she typically stops by Bean's Cafe in the evenings to "see how everyone is doing." When she arrived Thursday, she heard from others sitting outside the soup kitchen that Good had died.

Greene said Good struggled with alcoholism.

"He was doing really good," Greene said. "He was sober for a long time, but I guess he just drank really hard and didn't wake up."

Good died in the same area where Harry Oxereok Jr. died one week before.

On Friday, Oistad released the names of two other men believed to have been homeless who were found dead in Anchorage last week.

Chester Ferreria, 59, was found in the woods off Fifth Avenue near the Lucky Wishbone restaurant on July 13.

Daniel Chapman, 54, was discovered July 15 inside a tent in Valley of the Moon Park off E Street, about 50 yards into the woods behind the dog park.

In an interview last week, police said they hadn't ruled out foul play in Chapman's death, as he had evidence of recent injuries. But Oistad said Friday that Chapman's injuries had been treated at a hospital.

"We're not anticipating this to be anything but a natural-causes death," Oistad said.

She added it that could take up to two months to receive a final autopsy report.

Megan Edge

Megan Edge is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News.

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