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- While on a New Year’s Eve run, country singer Tyler Rich discovered a dead body in the woods of a Massachusetts’ Chicopee state park.
- The singer, known for his songs “The Difference” and “Leave Her Wild,” said that he believed the death may have been a suicide.
- “Community is so important, remember to tell people how much you love them, and remember to talk to someone, anyone, when you are feeling lost and alone, cause you’re not,” he wrote on Instagram.
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Tyler Rich says he was out for a run on New Year’s Eve when he saw what appeared to be a man sleeping on the ground. About 2.5 miles into his workout at Chicopee Memorial State Park in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the country singer says he turned back to check on the man, when he discovered he was dead, according to an Instagram post he shared on Friday.
When he went back to the man in the empty woods, he saw “a lifeless face covered in blood” that appeared to be due to a gunshot or blunt force, Rich explained in his Instagram post. The singer said since he only had his Apple Watch on him, he found a nearby couple and used their phone to call the police.
The singer, known for “The Difference” and “Leave Her Wild,” said that police found a gun on the man’s person, and suggested that the death “potentially could have been a suicide.”
Rich later said on his Instagram stories that he learned the man’s name was “Eric,” and that he’d been a fan of horror movies and pop-punk.
The Chicopee Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A police department spokesperson told local outlet WWLP that Massachusetts State Police were investigating the death.
Rich reflected on the experience of discovering the man, which he called an "image and moment of my life, I'll never forget," and thanked "first responders and our military that look death in the eye every day, and are able to continue to live their everyday lives."
On Saturday, Rich posted a subsequent post to thank his 255,000 followers for their support and share resources for anyone struggling with mental health.
"Community is so important, remember to tell people how much you love them, and remember to talk to someone, anyone, when you are feeling lost and alone, cause you're not," he wrote in the post's caption.
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