Body found in duct work of vacant Durham store

Authorities worked throughout the morning to remove the body, which was discovered at the now-closed Town and Country convenience store at about 10:30 a.m. The store, in the 3700 block of Fayetteville Street, is across from Hillside High School. 

No information about the man was released, and authorities weren't sure how long the body had been inside the duct.

Durham police said the store had been closed several months.

In a recording of the 911 call, witnesses who made the discovery said, "We're not 100 percent it's a dead body." The caller said he was with an insurance company and was on the roof to investigate a copper theft claim when the body was spotted.

"It looks like it's stuffed down into some sort of return for an AC unit or something," the caller said. "You can just see the legs and the socks sticking out – and there is a shoe."

The owner of a neighboring business said he thinks the man may have been trying to break in and got stuck. The business owner, who did not want to be identified, said it's common for people to try to break in through the roof.

The incident has some neighbors saying it's time to renovate the vacant storefront. 

"Put another business there that could generate jobs for the community, or maybe a community center for children," Deborah Crawford said.