A Sykesville man was found dead in a storm drain Wednesday, police said.
Robert L. Hawk, 54, was found along the 500 block of Md. Route 140 before late Wednesday morning, police said. An area business owner was mowing the lawn when he spotted Hawk's body and called the police shortly before 11 a.m. Responders arrived and pronounced Hawk dead at the scene, police said.
Police said Hawk had likely crawled four feet into a drainage pipe to lie down, and a folded shirt was found beside his body.
Maryland State Police criminal investigators found that a man matching Hawk's description was seen walking "unsteadily" in the parking lot of a nearby shopping mall Wednesday, and was given a "no trespassing" order by shopping mall officials on Tuesday, police said. Investigators also found a car registered to Hawk in the mall parking lot, but there was no evidence of foul play, police said.
Hawk's body is undergoing an autopsy to determine the cause of death.