WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — A city utility worker made a grim discovery Friday morning while working on a pipe near the Huddle House on Watson Boulevard.
The worker, Jose Ochoa, found a body just a few feet from the restaurant’s parking lot, leading to an immediate police response.
The Warner Robins Police Department identified the deceased as 62-year-old Victor Hollomon. According to witnesses, the body may have been there for one to two weeks before being discovered.
Police later confirmed it had been there “several” days.
After a preliminary investigation, police say they believe Hollomon died of natural causes, though an autopsy will be conducted at a GBI lab to determine the official cause of death. Ochoa recounted the moment he found the body.
"I walk to the bushes over there, and I see the body,” Ochoa said. “I saw it and had to get closer to make sure it was a body.”
He said he told his crew members, and they contacted the police.
Customers at the nearby Huddle House were shocked by the news. Patty Engram, a regular at the restaurant, expressed her surprise.
"All of us older folks, especially, are kinda shocked to know that somebody was out there, and from what I've heard, out there for a while," Engram said. “It’s just sad that he was out there for so long and nobody knew about him. No matter what happened, it’s sad.”
Engram and others were left wondering how something like this could happen so close to a busy area. Donald Davis, another customer, speculated what may have happened.
"They got cameras up here – I thought – that they can see what was going on, so it’s unusual," Davis said.
Despite the surprise, the police say they do not suspect foul play. They are awaiting autopsy results to confirm the cause and manner of Hollomon's death.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Warner Robins Police Department at 478-302-5380 or the Macon Regional Crimestoppers.