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Braves game goes on as scheduled after dead body found in beer cooler

The cause of death has not been determined.

A dead body was discovered inside a beer cooler at SunTrust Park in Georgia Tuesday afternoon, just hours before the Braves took the field.
A dead body was discovered inside a beer cooler at SunTrust Park in Georgia Tuesday afternoon, just hours before the Braves took the field.Read moreDavid Goldman / AP Photo
    by Rob Tornoe
    Updated 
    Published 

The Atlanta Braves lost at home Tuesday to the Cincinnati Reds, who benefited from a strong outing by former Mets pitcher Matt Harvey. But many of the fans sitting in the stands for the 5-3 loss were unaware that just hours earlier, a dead body had been found in the stadium.

Tuesday afternoon, the body of a third-party contractor was found by a co-worker inside a beer cooler located in the vending area at SunTrust Park, according to Cobb County police. On Wednesday, the man was identified as 47-year-old Todd Keeling from White Bear Lake, Minn. No new information is expected to be released today.

"Because we don't have a time of death, a cause of death… we don't but a label on it. So we treat it as if it's a homicide, and go down from there," Cobb County police spokeswoman Sarah O'Hara told 11 Alive news in Atlanta. "We have not labeled it as a homicide."

The Braves have declined to comment on the situation. The Braves are currently playing against the Reds in a game that started at 12:10 p.m. The Phillies won't travel to SunTrust Stadium again until September.

News of the discovery came just hours after a dead body was found in the Fair Lawn, N.J. home of New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office is reportedly investigating the situation as a potential homicide. The victim, identified as 25-year-old Roosevelt Rene, had been living at Jenkins' house, according to prosecutors.

"The manner of death will be determined by the Bergen County Medical Examiner's Office after a post-mortem exam," the prosecutor's office said.

ESPN reported that Jenkins, who is in Florida attending the team's minicamp, is aware of the investigation. The Giants told ESPN they were "are aware of and monitoring the situation."