What to Know
- Gerald Fomalont went missing from his Bustleton Avenue home Wednesday. He was found dead near train tracks three days later.
- Fomalont had cerebral palsy and reduced mental abilities, police said.
- There were no signs of trauma to Fomalont's body. an autopsy is expected to help determine a cause of death.
A man with cerebral palsy who left his Northeast Philadelphia home to go to work but never returned was found dead by train tracks days later.
Gerald Fomalont’s family identified the 60-year-old Bustleton man’s body Monday, Philadelphia police said.
Fomalont left his home on the 9900 block of Bustleton Avenue Wednesday morning to go to work but didn’t return later in the day as usual.
Police put out a missing persons alert Thursday as they searched for Fomalont, who had a reduced mental capacity and had cerebral palsy. Fomalont was wearing a nylon jacket, pants and loafers at the time he went missing.
On Saturday afternoon, officers were called to train tracks near the 11300 block of Northeast Avenue — a little more than a mile from Fomalont’s home — where they found his body. There were no obvious signs of trauma to his body, police said.
An autopsy was performed to help determine a cause of death, police said.
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The medical examiner's office ruled that Fomalont's death was caused by hypertensive cardiovascular disease with a contributing factor of environmental hypothermia, city health department spokesman Jim Garrow said.
Temps drastically dipped from the 30s midday Wednesday to a record low of 7 degrees by midnight heading into Thursday. The below-freezing temps continued into the weekend.
The medical examiner's office ruled the death accidental.
