Man, 77, found slain in downtown Fort Lauderdale

A 77-year-old homeless man was killed in Fort Lauderdale and apparently suffered traumatic injuries before he died, police said.

Robert Kenneth Bartlett was found downtown before 7 a.m. Monday and “his injuries were consistent with blunt force trauma,” police spokeswoman Casey Liening said Tuesday. The department would not describe further what may have happened to him.

Lorraine Wilby, chief executive officer of TaskForce Fore Ending Homelessness, said she knew Bartlett for 13 years, dating from when she ran a shelter for elderly, disabled people.

“I knew him real well,” Wilby said. “He became a kitchen helper while there. He was a military veteran.”

Bartlett was discovered in the 100 block of Northeast Third Street and pronounced dead at Broward Health Medical Center.

Police are asking anyone with information about the homicide to call Detective Juan Cabrera at 954-828-5581. Broward County Crime Stoppers accepts anonymous calls and will pay up to $3,000 for tips that lead to an arrest.

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