A body was found on a dirt walking path behind the Jaclyn Apartments in Belding Friday night.
Residents there say it’s a typically safe community and were stunned by the findings.
The body was found by children who lived at the complex and had went into the woods to play.
“I had butterflies in my stomach and felt like I wanted to throw up,” said Alyssa Yeasley, 11.
Alyssa and her close friend, Rylie McGraw, 10, had gone into the woods to build a fort when they saw the unthinkable.
“He didn’t move. He had blood dried, but it was kind of wet on his side of his head and we were all screaming,” said Alyssa
The girls wanted to tell us about their experience with their mother’s permission.
They were also shaken by what the little ones had discovered.
“I said everybody get out of here now,” said Rylie.
She said she told the other children to run and she tried to use her phone to call police.
Meanwhile, the kids ran to get the adults.
“We kept screaming at him, are you going to move, get up, and he wasn’t moving,” said Rylie.
Mom Raechelle Yeasley and other neighbors told us the man they found looked as if he were on his knees, slumped over.
She said he was African-American, around 18 years old to 29 years old.
Raechelle said he was wearing a hoodie and she said police told them his wallet was found on his body.
They were speculating that they didn’t think it was a robbery.
However, police could not confirm that information as of Friday evening.
The parents are proud of how their kids kept their composure when faced with tragedy.
“I’m very proud of her for what she did, calling 911….You can’t teach your kids what to do when they find a dead body,” said Susan Banks, Rylie’s Mom,
The parents we talked to were hoping it wasn’t foul play to ease their children’s minds.
Belding Police are still investigating and say they may have more information Saturday morning.
