While 2020 left a sour note in the mouths of many, some were able to find silver linings amidst the darkness. Country music star Tyler Rich, for instance, had a pretty big year in that he was able to release his debut album Two Thousand Miles in September, after having previously released a pair of EPs. However, all of the good news in the world couldn't have successfully prepared him for the horrific situation that he experienced on New Year's Eve, at which point he discovered a dead and bloodied body while out for a run.
While Tyler Rich presumably thought he would be engaging in some uneventful exercise on December 31, noting on Twitter that he was in the midst of a four-mile run through Chicopee State Park in Massachusetts, fate clearly had other plans for the country singer. Rich explained that he was running through a heavily wooded area while trying to find a clear shot back to the main path, which is where he first saw the body in question. In his words:
I then saw what I thought was a young homeless man sleeping. He was on his stomach and had a bag tied around his foot and was faced down. [Assumed maybe this was so people didn't steal his belongings while he slept. ]After running around him, I felt bad for him, he was sleeping face down and just looked like he was in a bad place. So, I turned around and went back to check on him. I realize he isn't breathing, and as I get around to the front of him, all I see is a lifeless face covered in blood. Everywhere. Looked like maybe shot, or blunt force. At this moment I freak out and sprint up the steep hill to try and find anyone with a phone to call police.
Tyler Rich explained that he only had his Apple Watch on him at the time, so he was looking everywhere to find someone who could help him reach out to the proper authorities. Thankfully, he came across a nearby couple who let him use their phone. Rich shared what happened after the police showed up, with a possible cause of death being revealed. He continued, saying:
Spent about an hour doing statements with state troopers, FBI, local police, detectives, etc. This young man looked like maybe 18-25. Couldn't tell, cause of all the blood, but his skin was still white. Didn't look like it happened too long before I got there. After sometime, the officers found a gun in one of his hands under his body. Which means it potentially could have been a suicide... Not that there is any type of thing that could help me cope with finding him like this. But, for sure knowing he wasn't there discarded by someone else, and that he was there where he wanted to be, will at least put me a little more at ease.
Understandably, Tyler Rich was more than a little shaken up by that day's events, and has spent the following days processing his gruesome and tragic discovery, which sounds horrifyingly enough like the singer's personal iteration of the film Stand By Me, which was adapted from Stephen King's short story "The Body." Rich's situation made the local news that evening, which he also shared in his Twitter post, though neither Rich nor the victim's name were included in the article.
Tyler Rich followed up on his original post with an appreciative shout out to all of his fans and followers who shared their sympathies and support for both the country music star and the victim himself. As well, he revealed that he'd actually been in contact with the man's mother in the aftermath, and shared the arguably spooky way that "11:11" played into it. ("11:11" is one of Rich's songs.)
Here's hoping Tyler Rich and the man's family and friends are able to find some comfort and peace as 2021 continues.
