Asheville police identify man found dead under Haywood Road bridge
Christopher Rorey Hipps’ family has asked for help as Asheville police identify the man found dead under the Haywood Road bridge.
Christopher Rorey Hipps’ family is asking West Asheville neighbors to help explain what happened beneath the Haywood Road bridge, after Asheville police identified the 39-year-old man found there on May 9.
APD released Hipps’ name on May 14 at the family’s request. Police said the body was found around 12:28 p.m. Saturday, May 9, and while foul play is not suspected, it has not been ruled out. Investigators have said the death is likely the result of a fall.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Asheville Police Department. Anonymous tips can also be sent through TIP2APD by smartphone or text. The city says the system is intended for non-emergencies and allows anonymous two-way communication, so officers can ask follow-up questions without learning the tipster’s identity.
The identification adds a personal dimension to a case that had been reduced to a brief police response under one of West Asheville’s most familiar corridors. Hipps’ obituary says he was born June 20, 1986, was a lifelong Asheville resident and graduated from Owen High School in 2004. It also says he worked for the past eight years at The Barksdale, where he was known as “Asheville’s Best Bartender.”
Haywood Road has long been a central West Asheville route, and the nearby I-26 Connector plans begin at the Haywood Road interchange before crossing the French Broad River. That makes the bridge area both highly visible and heavily traveled, with traffic, pedestrians and neighborhood activity converging in a small stretch of roadway.
Hipps died unexpectedly in Asheville on Friday, May 9, at age 39. With his name now public and his family asking for help, the investigation has shifted from an unidentified death scene to a community case that still depends on someone coming forward with a useful detail.
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