The man found dead June 6 outside a Morgan Hill retail building has been identified as 54-year-old Kevin Hart.
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While the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office declined to release the cause of Hart’s death, Morgan Hill Police said they do not suspect foul play. MHPD Sgt. Troy Hoefling said Hart likely died from an unspecified “medical issue.”
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Morgan Hill police received a phone call about 3:30 p.m. June 6 from an employee of one of the businesses located at 16795 Monterey Road. The caller reported that a person was lying motionless next to the building, according to police.
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Firefighters and police arrived and confirmed the adult male was dead, MHPD Sgt. Carson Thomas said at the scene June 6. Officers taped off the building and parking lot while they waited for Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office to arrive and take custody of the body.
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The man was found in a culvert several feet away from the north side of the building, partially concealed by shrubs, grass and other vegetation.
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Officers gathered footage from surveillance cameras in the area, Hoefling said. The footage and other evidence confirms the man was not a victim of a crime or other foul play.
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Although Hart was known to Morgan Hill police and other locals as a transient who frequented commercial areas of town, resident Keith Kravich told the Times that at the time of his death, Hart was living with him and his mother at a mobile home park north of town.
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Kravich said Hart—who was born and raised in Morgan Hill—had lived in the mobile home at least “two or three years.” Hart was homeless when Kravich met him several years ago, and he and his mother “took him in.” Kravich’s mother gave up her bedroom for Hart, opting to sleep on the living room sofa.
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At the time of his death, Hart continued to keep his belongings at the Kraviches’ home, where he showered and received mail.
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But Hart also suffered from alcohol addiction, and would disappear from the home for several days at a time, Kravich said. At times in recent years, Hart worked as a carpenter and handyman. Kravich paid him to do some work on his home.
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“I really cared for that kid, and tried my best to make sure he stayed on the right track,” Kravich said. “He would take the coat off his back and give it to you. He was a very generous man, and he will be sorely missed.”
