Prichard Man Freezes To Death

Prichard Prichard Police A case in Prichard is a sad reminder of how deadly cold weather can be.

by Tiffany Craig

Published: Fri, January 16, 2009 - 5:18 pm CST

The cold weather proved to be deadly in Prichard on Thursday night.

A driver called Prichard Police Friday morning to report a body on the side of the road. When police got to the intersection of Prichard Avenue and St. Stephens Road, they found 45-year old Derrick Wilson.

Police say Wilson had on jeans, a t-shirt and jacket and showed signs of hypothermia. Latoya Veal is the spokesperson for Prichard. Veal says indicators at the scene lead them to believe Wilson might have frozen to death. "Just the temperature last night, the clothing that he was wearing and the evidence that we collected at the scene are the indications that we believe it may be hypothermia."

We found a woman who claimed to be Wilson's friend. Francies Williams says he had been drinkng last night and wouldn't come in from the cold. "What's eating me is because when I tried to take him home, he telling me he don't know who I am and that hurts. Bottom line, when I picked him up he should have kept on walking."

An autopsy is being done to confirm the exact cause of death.

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sexy N Says:

Mon, Jan 19, 2009 at 8:50 am

I am friend of the family and the autopsy showed the man had been drinking and they found something in his drink that made him past out and the lady that’s a friend that stated she tried to make him come in out of the cold. Why she didn’t called the cops, when he laid down and wouldn’t get up, And didn’t know who she was, that was sign then. Telling something else was wrong with this man. Alcohol don’t make you forget a friend you known all your life. Or make a person sleep outside by a pole.

southfan1981 Says:

Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 2:10 pm

Bobcat, if you read the article, his friend states that he would not come in from the cold. Alcohol can make you do stupid things.

bobcat Says:

Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 10:00 am

Homeless or not, if someone ask for shelter from the cold they will not be turned away from these organizations who specialize in helping people in need. Why didn’t he just ask for help? Such a needless death that could and would have been prevented. Must have been other issues that contributed to his death.