ST. GEORGE — A man was discovered dead Monday morning on a St. George mortuary lawn with a gunshot wound to his head.

Just before noon, police responded to Spilsbury Mortuary located at 110 S. Bluff Street in St. George on a report of a body found on the lawn about 40 yards from the mortuary’s main entrance.

Police found an adult male who appeared to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, St. George Police Sgt. Sam Despain said.

“Not sure what prompted (mortuary employees) to come out,” Despain said, “but the body was found near the parking lot in kind of a main area, so exactly how they found out, I don’t know.”

As this report is published, Despain said it was unclear if anyone heard the gunshot that killed the man.

Police said they don’t believe the incident is a public safety issue or that there’s a suspect at large who may have shot the man.

“We don’t feel that, at this point, it’s a homicide,” Despain said. “We feel that it is a suicide, so that there’s not any danger to the community.”

Despain said the incident is still under investigation, adding that there are a lot of unanswered questions as far as why the individual may have chosen the location.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

Ed. note: As a general practice, St. George News does not cover deaths that appear to be a suicide unless the action has a wider impact on the community – as in cases like this that unfold in a public manner. It is not anticipated that additional information about the incident will be pursued or released by St. George News.

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