The SMOBSERVED Article Asserting That Eight Dead Individuals Were Found Around Reed Park 4/15 to 5/15/2026 Is Incorrect, Writes SMPD

Good afternoon,

I am writing to request a correction to the May 17 article claiming that eight bodies of homeless individuals were found in a half square mile area near Reed Park over the past four weeks. The article states this information was drawn from SMPD daily reports.

That claim is inaccurate. SMPD has no information supporting that eight unhoused individuals were found deceased in or around Reed Park during the time period described. The death related calls referenced were primarily private residence calls, not public deaths connected to Reed Park or unhoused individuals. Based on our review of the referenced calls, they involved apparent natural causes or medical complications.

SMPD was not contacted for verification or comment prior to publication. We are requesting that the headline, captions, article text, and any related social media posts be corrected to accurately reflect the underlying call information.

If helpful, SMPD can provide a limited summary of the referenced call information to support the correction.

Respectfully,