Photo: Body of Guatemalan-Born Man Found at Churchill Downs, Just Hours After Kentucky Derby
Mere hours after the running of the Kentucky Derby, the body of 48-year-old Guatemala native, Adan Fabian Perez was found on the grounds at Churchill Downs.
At around 5 a.m. Sunday, police were called after Perez’s son found his father’s body in a barn not from where Derby-winning horse I’ll Have Another was stabled. Perez and his son both worked at the track. The barn was being occupied by Louisville trainer Angel Montano Sr. who did not have a horse in the big derby.
Though there were no signs of a struggle, police say the Perez’s boy had sustained injuries leading them to believe “he was involved in some type of altercation.”
Jefferson County chief deputy coroner, Jo-Ann Farmer stated, “At this point we don’t have anything pointing to the fact that this had any association with Churchill Downs or the Derby itself.” Farmer added, “Our investigation is ongoing as to why he would have specifically been at this location.”
An autopsy was scheduled for Monday, with police saying they “do not have suspect information at this point.”
Last year, the body of jockey Michael Baze was found in a vehicle near Churchill about a week after the Derby. However, his death was ultimately ruled an accidental overdose.
On Saturday, in front of a record-setting crowd of more than 165,000 people, the horse named I’ll Have Another, ridden by jockey Mario Gutierrez, won the 138th Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky.
