By DOUGLAS W. MOTLEY
Senior Writer

A 25-year-old Crestline man was discovered by a passerby, lying face-down on a dirt path below the road shoulder in the 23000 block of Crest Forest Drive around 2 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 31.
Local Realtor Richard Guill told The Alpine Mountaineer on Nov. 2 that he heard a disturbance across the street from his Coldwell Banker Rim of the World real estate office and went outside to see what was causing the commotion, only to find that paramedics were attempting to revive a young man lying beside the road.
“Shortly after that, sheriff’s deputies arrived and cordoned-off the area,” Guill said, adding that a neighbor who had discovered the body called 9-1-1.
“There was no blood or any obvious injuries and I thought maybe he had tripped and fallen down. The responders were very professional. They gloved up and checked the man and it was obvious that rigor mortis had set in. Then they declared him deceased. The paramedics were very respectful, and we all prayed together for the young man.”
Gail Boyer, owner of nearby Boyer and Associates Land Development, told The Alpine Mountaineer that she was quite familiar with the deceased man and that his name is Nathaniel Ebert. “He was seen regularly here in this neighborhood. He often sat for hours on this bench in front of my office, and I fed him and other homeless persons that hang out around here.”
Other business owners said they were also familiar with Ebert and the other homeless people who often sleep on the sidewalk or in the forested area behind their buildings.
Guill said he was concerned about all of the homeless people who seem to congregate in Top Town Crestline and camp out in the canyon below Crest Forest Drive. However, he’s not sure whether Nathaniel was actually homeless, because he didn’t dress like the others. “He dressed nicely. The last time I saw him, he was wearing clean slacks and a Hawaiian shirt.”
The coroner will determine the cause of Nathaniel Ebert’s passing.

PHOTOS:

Nathaniel Ebert and his father, John Ebert, in happier days. (Contributed photo)

The dirt path where Nathaniel Ebert’s body was discovered. (Photo by Douglas W. Motley)

A memorial placed at the spot where Nathaniel Ebert’s body was found. (Photo by Rhea-Frances Tetley)