Police identify man found dead in Portales

Freedom New Mexico

Investigators have identified a man found dead Monday evening, but they don’t know why he died.

James McCulley, 48, was found dead by his 51-year-old girlfriend in her apartment in the 700 block of East Brazos Street, said Portales Police Deputy Chief Lonnie Berry.

Police were classifying the death as suspicious.

An autopsy identified McCulley, but there is no obvious cause of death, Berry said.

Police also don’t yet know the time of death. Berry said there was decomposition, which distorted indications of when McCulley died.

Investigators are waiting for results from toxicology and other lab tests, which could take a month. Berry said they are interviewing people who knew McCulley or were around him for the last few days. He hopes most interviews will be done by noon today.

McCulley didn’t live at his girlfriend’s residence but was staying there with her knowledge, Berry said. He said the woman left for a day or more and returned about 5:15 p.m. Monday and found McCulley.

McCulley was stabbed June 11, and Josephus Daniel, 76, was charged with the stabbing soon after.

Berry said the stabbing did not have a direct connection to McCulley’s death.