Charred body found at homeless camp on Des Moines' east side

Authorities found charred remains of a human body at a homeless camp in northeast Des Moines last month.

The death is under investigation, and the victim has not been identified, according to a Des Moines Police report from the April 1 incident.

The burned body was found April 1 by two men who were checking on their property near the homeless camp, which is in a wooded area near the 1500 block of East Euclid Avenue, according to the police report.

The men noticed that a shed that usually stood in the area had been burned by fire, and among the burned items appeared to be a body, so the men called police, according to the report.

City clears D.M. homeless camps on private properties

Police and firefighters arrived to process the scene, including confirming that there was a body among remnants of a fire.

Police asked two people nearby if they had seen a fire recently, but they said they had not, though they told officers they "come and go" from the area frequently and may not have seen anything.

Des Moines Fire Capt. Mike Dooley confirmed Friday that the area where the body was found houses a homeless camp, and the death is still under investigation by Des Moines police and firefighters. No further information on the investigation was available Friday.

The city of Des Moines is working to clear homeless camps that are on private properties, including clearing several camps just south of downtown Friday morning. This recent enforcement effort was prompted by complaints from property owners and others about the tents, trash and illegal camping associated with the homeless camps, as well as safety concerns, city officials said.

Register reporter Timothy Meinch contributed to this story.