UPDATE: Dead Man Was Not Full-time Casper Resident

Authorities know the identification of the man whose body was found in a snowbank near downtown Wednesday morning, but it will not be released yet, Natrona County Chief Deputy Coroner Wayne Reynolds said Friday.

"He has been in Casper for a short period of time off and on, but as far as him being a frequent local resident, no he's not," Reynolds said.

Casper police responded to a call about the body, which was found in an abandoned loading dock away from the main rail line at the railroad tracks near North Beech and East C streets.

The coroner's office took over the investigation.

"The autopsy preliminary findings are that the deceased died of exposure-hypothermia," Reynolds said. "At this time foul play is not suspected. The coroner's office will be waiting for toxicology results before completing our investigation."

The man's identification will not be released until the next of kin can be notified.

The coroner's office has been able to track down who he was, Reynolds said. "We had to confirm what we were seeing is the same person as the deceased and then we had to wait for some other records for actual confirmation, or positive identification."

Hypothermia was the cause of death, Reynolds said.

The manner of death, however, will not known until the complete autopsy report and toxicology report are complete, he said.

Hypothermia is the cooling of the inner body core temperature and that is usually caused by exposure to cold weather. When that happens, the body starts drawing blood to its interior, Reynolds said.

As that happens, the person becomes less oriented and alert, Reynolds said. "If you interior body core temperature does not rise, you are going to become unconscious and you are going to die."

Preventative measures are simple, but worth repeating.

"Dressing appropriately, and being aware of your surroundings and what the weather is doing is probably your best defense against hypothermia," Reynolds said.