Alverno students, two young boys discover body near McKinley Park

MILWAUKEE -- Officials are investigating after a body was discovered near McKinley Park, along Milwaukee's lakefront Sunday afternoon, November 11th. 

Milwaukee police and Sheriff's officials were on the scene, and roped off a portion of the area. 

The body was discovered by a group of Alverno College students who were in the area picking up trash. The group included two young boys who were helping out when something caught their eye. 

The boys found the body, they say was wrapped in a shower curtain. 

"We were doing a cleanup project for a biology class. As we were walking through the park, a couple of kids actually stumbled onto a dead body," one Alverno student told FOX6 News.

FOX6 News spoke with the boys who discovered the body -- 11-year-old Brandon Rupnick and nine-year-old Hayden Yearian. 

"I was shocked when I first saw it, because I didn't think it was a real dead body," Rupnick said.

Yearian told FOX6 News he was picking up a bottle when something caught his eye.

"I called out for help. They were telling me we should just back away and leave it alone," Yearian said.

Late Sunday evening, police said the body is that of an elderly man who appears to have been homeless and may have been living in the wooded area where his body was found for quite some time. 

Officials say they are in the process of identifying the man, and an autopsy is planned to determine the cause of death. Police say there is no evidence of foul play.

"We feel horrible, especially because the little kids found it," an Alverno student said.

Witnesses at the scene told FOX6 News it seemed as though the body had been there for awhile.

The students say they were just trying to help pick up along Milwaukee's lakefront, and had no idea their day would involve helping law enforcement.

"It is a scary realization of our community around us," an Alverno student said.

Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates on this developing story.