FLINT (WJRT) -
(02/20/12) - An 86-year-old Flint man was found dead in his truck, parked in his driveway.
Police say he may have been trying to find warmth, after the power was shut off at his home.
Police were called to his house in the 700 block of East Parkway around 9:30 Monday morning.
They say the cause of 86-year-old John Morgan's death is not clear, but it is not suspicious.
"Mark next door here, he called and said he see him in the truck saying it looked like he wasn't alive and he said he called his name one or two times and I told him to just call 911 and they'll send someone out," said neighbor Adie Powell.
When police arrived, they found 86-year-old John Morgan dead, laying down in the front seat of his truck.
The truck, parked in his driveway, might have been his shelter from the cold.
A consumers energy shut off notice was issued Friday, citing an unpaid $291 bill.
"I know he had the money, he probably just didn't pay it. I think when you start getting old, people better stay in touch with you, 'cause he didn't have anybody to talk to," said friend Annie Howell.
Howell says the GM retiree lived alone and didn't have any family nearby.
"He was a nice guy and as he got older, he got confused," Howell said.
Police are not sure exactly when Morgan died, but they tell us the last time he spoke with someone was on Saturday. They say he was in contact with his daughter who lives in California.
Police also say the cold wasn't his only problem. He also suffered from a medical condition.
An autopsy is being performed.
In 2009, the death of 93-year-old Marvin Schur, who froze to death inside his Bay City Home, promoted a state law that protests power shut off to most customers in the winter months.
Consumers Energy has always followed a similar policy even before it became law, but spokesperson Kevin Keane says Morgan never notified the utility company.
"We were very saddened to learn about this individual's death, we had no record that this was a senior citizen customer of the utility," Keane said.
Keane urges senior citizens and their family members to report their age to the utility company. He says they may also be eligible for rebates.
