Police have ruled out the potential for foul play as a cause of death after a corpse was discovered between two buildings on West Dayton Street last Wednesday evening.

After a preliminary autopsy was performed Friday on the 34-year-old male victim, the Dane County Medical Examiner’s office has determined homicide was not the man’s cause of death.

The man was found unconscious on the 300 block of West Dayton Street around 7:30 p.m. March 3. He was transported to Meriter Hospital where he was pronounced dead, an MPD police report said.

“We do not believe that the death was suspicious in nature,” Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said.

DeSpain said the identity of the victim would not be released because of the individual’s right to privacy, and said the department could not release any further details on the death.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the exact cause of death is not yet known because the medical examiner is still waiting on toxicology reports.

“There were no initial indications of foul play and the medical examiner’s office preliminary autopsy results make that same conclusion,” Verveer said.

Verveer said police contacts notified him the victim was a homeless man who had a history of alcohol abuse. He said the victim’s alcohol abuse could have played a role in his death.

Verveer said individuals who suffer from alcohol abuse are found in the downtown area from time to time, but these deaths go unreported more often than not.

“Very tragically, this sort of death is not wholly unusual in Madison,” Verveer said. “Often times, individuals like this victim die in Madison, but the public is not aware of it because no press releases are issued by the government.”

Although Verveer said alcohol-related deaths are common in the downtown area, he said it was important to note downtown homicides are extremely rare. He said it was particularly troubling that the body was found outside, but originally asked community members not to make judgments about the area’s safety until after the autopsy results were released Friday.