Relatives ask for help after man found dead in Lake View

A death investigation is underway after a man suffering “blunt force injury” to his head was found dead late last month at his apartment complex in Lake View, Chicago police said.

A janitor called 911 after spotting Nolan L. Hart, 32, and responding police officers initially thought he was asleep when they tried to wake him as he sat on the floor near the stairwell of his apartment complex in the 500 block of West Addison Street the morning of Oct. 27, according to Chicago police reports obtained by the Sun-Times.

Officers then noticed he was pale and saw dried blood and trauma to his head, according to the report. A bloodied backpack lay nearby and Hart was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:20 a.m.

An autopsy the next day by the Cook County medical examiner’s office was inconclusive and pending further studies.

A flyer posted in the area by family members indicated they believe Hart was killed in the back stairwell of Parliament Towers, the apartment building where he lived, between 10 and 11 p.m. Oct. 26. In the flyer, the relatives asked anyone with video surveillance to come forward.

In a letter to residents obtained by WGN, Parliament Towers told residents “at this stage, there is no indication of foul play.”

When reached by a Sun-Times reporter on Friday, Hart’s brother declined to comment.

An obituary created for Hart described him as someone whose “quick wit, sense of humor, big smile, and enthusiastic (though perhaps not graceful) Irish dancing brought joy and laughter to all who knew him.”

“He never met a child he didn’t want to hold or play with,” the obituary states.

Detectives continue to investigate.