Concord Police Say There’s No Public Threat After 2 Unattended Deaths, In Separate Incidents, This Week

CONCORD, NH — Concord police are investigating two unattended deaths of men this week in homeless camps.

But officials said Wednesday, investigators believe there is no danger to the public.

In the first case, police were sent to the area near the railroad tracks near the Concord Gas House on South Main Street for a report of an unattended death around 12:30 p.m. on Monday, according to Lt. Thomas Yerkes of the department’s bureau of investigations. Upon arrival, he said, “Police officers encountered a homeless encampment underneath the Water Street bridge adjacent to the railroad tracks. Within the encampment, police officers located a deceased male subject.”

The man was identified as Blake C. Erickson, 47, a homeless man now located in Concord.

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Erickson’s death “remains an active and ongoing investigation,” Yerkes said, adding, “at this time, there does not appear to be any danger to the public related to this incident.”

Police regularly patrol the area since no public camping is allowed under the Water Street Bridge after a shooting, assaults, fires, and the city spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to clear out and clean up the area, as well as Healy Memorial Park.

A little more than a day later, around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, police were sent to Horseshoe Pond Island, not far from the railroad tracks and another homeless camp, for a report of a body of a man found partially covered by snow.

Yerkes said the man had not yet been positively identified, and the investigation remains active. He added there did not appear to be any danger to the public in this case either.

Last spring, two men were found in April and May after being missing for long periods of time.

One, Michael Schilz, was found in a shed off North State Street. He had been missing since October 2023. A second man, Curtis Ayer, was found down an embankment at the intersection of Interstate 303 and South Commercial Street.

The Concord Regional Crimeline is seeking any information about the death of Erickson or the unknown man on Horseshoe Pond Island. Call 603-226-3100 to leave an anonymous tip or text TIP234 and your message to CRIMES (274637). Tips can also be left online at the Crimeline website, linked here. Crimeline awards cash to anyone whose information leads to the arrest and indictment of criminals. All tips remain anonymous.

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