The below-20-degree weather that froze over the Big Bend during the Christmas holiday claimed the lives of two homeless men.
Raymond Myers of Leon County and Bradley Wright of Wakulla County were found dead from hypothermia after sleeping outside, according to the medical examiner records.
BackgroundDeep freeze, but no snow, hits Tallahassee in December
Wright, 65, was found by a friend in a wooded area in St. Marks, where he lived.
Myers, 62, was found underneath layers of blankets, below the awning of a taco truck on Blountstown Highway, according to records.
Myers used to frequent the taco truck, called Taqueria El Calentanos, said Berenice Torres.
Torres, who has worked at El Calentanos for a couple of months, said she didn’t speak with Myers much, as he only spoke English and she speaks Spanish. But the two would eat together, like neighbors would.
Patrons would also try to help Myers.
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“They gave him food, they brought him blankets, but it didn’t help in the end,” she said.
Leon County and the surrounding areas saw five consecutive days of freezing temperatures over the holiday week, dropping as low as 18 degrees in some places. On Christmas Eve, the wind chill fell to 10 degrees.
“It’s truly sad when any life is lost,” said Vicki Butler, director of operations for The Kearney Center. “But it’s even sadder that someone passes away from poverty and lack of housing. All the providers in the homeless services community work together to prevent these tragedies, and we’re all mourning this loss.”