Update, 8:22 p.m.:Police identified the man as Richard Briercheck, 46, of 62 Howe Ave.
“This is an active investigation,” state police said in a press release.
Update 4:15 p.m.: In a prepared statement, state police said detectives from the Central District Major Crime Squad have taken over the investigation of a man found dead inside a Howe Avenue home in Shelton Friday.
The statement said detectives “have determined a tentative identification but are withholding the identification pending positive ID and notification to the next of kin.”
An autopsy will be performed on the body to determine the cause and manner of death, police said.
The state police press release, issued about 4:15 p.m. Friday, is embedded below:
Original post follows.
Detectives from Shelton and state police are investigating the death of a man inside a Howe Avenue home Friday morning.
About 6:45 a.m., a person called 911 asking for medical assistance at 62 Howe Ave., Shelton Police Captain Robert Kozlowsky said.
“Police and EMS responded,” Kozlowsky said. “They found a male at the residence. The male was later pronounced deceased.”
The audio below contains a statement from police. Click play to listen.
Police at this point have only called the death “untimely,” which does not point one way or the other as to whether foul play is involved.
Police expect to release more information as their investigation progresses.
The property is at the corner of Grove Street and Howe Avenue.
Police have crime scene tape stretching across the rear boundary of a blue house at the property.
Police Chief Joel Hurliman and Kevin Lawlor, the state’s attorney for the Ansonia-Milford Judicial District, were on the scene as well.
Police have not identified the man who died. Kozlowsky said he was found inside the single-family residence.
Kozlowsy said detectives are working to piece together details of what happened.
“These things do take time, and it is a process,” he said. “We’re trying to focus and be methodical about our investigation.”
Nicholas Carden, 28, lives across the street. He said a middle-aged man and woman live in the house. The man works as a carpenter, he said, and the woman is an electrician.
Carden and Alyssa Astarita, 22, described the couple as very friendly. They declined to give their names, opting to defer to police.
Both said they heard nothing unusual overnight or Friday morning.
“They’re totally normal people. They just brought us dinner the other night,” Astarita said.
Grove Street, which runs along the side of the property, is a narrow street.
Police have not confirmed whether the body of the man found in the residence is, in fact, the person who lives there.
Kozlowsky said police are still investigating in order to confirm such details.
The house itself is 132 years old and sits on almost an acre. The rear yard was full of plantings, including roses. At least four bird feeders could be seen from the street.
“I’ve been in the house. We’ve played X‑Box together. They made us hot dogs,” Carden said. “They loved feeding the birds. They’re just really cool. Always laughing, enjoying nature.”
