Body found near 51st and Fairmount now identified

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The body found near 51st and Fairmount in Milwaukee Sunday, February 24th has been identified as that of 50-year-old Kenneth Pierce.

Officials say Pierce was found dead just before 9:00 a.m. Sunday.

Police say their investigation has revealed Pierce was involved in a physical altercation with a group of unknown individuals several hours prior to the discovery of his body.

There was a secondary crime scene at a liquor store a block or so away. A manager there told FOX6 News there was a fight outside the store Saturday night, involving Pierce.

The manager told FOX6 News Pierce was badly beaten before a family member picked him up and took him to the house where his body was found. A friend told FOX6 News Pierce had been in fights in the past and had refused medical treatment, so if he didn't want to go to the hospital following this fight, it wouldn't be out of character.

A neighbor told FOX6 News she heard moaning Saturday night.

"Never suspected it was going to be our neighbor like that. I never seen any arguments with him at all," the neighbor said.

Milwaukee police have not yet confirmed information learned from neighbors and secondary sources at this time.

Police are awaiting autopsy results to determine a cause of death. The autopsy was performed on Monday.

Iesha Willingham says Pierce was a kind-hearted person, and says she never thought he would die this way. Willingham's mother dated Pierce at one time.

"He really was a nice guy to me and my mom and stuff and he never had any problem with anybody really. He drank a little bit, but he still didn`t cause any problems. I knew him for quite some time. I didn't know for him to have any enemies or anything like that. It's really unfortunate because a lot of people did take advantage of him," Willingham said.

As police await autopsy results, investigators are reportedly trying to get ahold of surveillance video from the liquor store.

Related Stories: