2009 News Picture Story - First

Max Ortiz

Frozen in Indifference: Life goes on around a body found in vacant warehouse

A man is entombed in ice at the bottom of an elevator shaft in an abandoned building in Detroit. A group of urban explorers saw the man and even photographed him, no calls to authorities was made. Homeless men who had taken shelter in the building were afraid police officers would ticket them for trespassing, and even a tourist from Amsterdam did nothing because his involvement might hinder his travel plans. The man had a name, Johnnie Redding, who was a soft-hearted man who fell into a hard world and could never extricate himself from it, no matter how hard he tried. He needed someone to claim him and send him home.