The body of a well-known panhandler was found behind a busy Auburn shopping center Tuesday.

Auburn resident Patricia Bissing was the first to discover and report seeing the man lying on the ground behind the Kmart, located in a business complex off Bell Road and Highway 49 in Auburn.

Bissing said she was one her way to drop off clothes to a nearby Goodwill at about 3 p.m. when she rounded the corner and saw the man. She said she continued driving until she found two Kmart employees and asked them to check the scene because it looked suspicious.

“I was a little upset, but I was still pretty calm,” Bissing said. “I just wanted them to go find out what it was and take care of it.”

Authorities arrived shortly after the Kmart employees called 911.

They found the man lying partly under a shrub with a homeless sign, a pocket of loose change and a bottle of Canadian Whiskey, according to Kevin Jackson, coroner investigator with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. Jackson said the man is a well-known panhandler in the area.

The initial investigation does not indicate foul play.

“It appears natural,” Jackson said.

The man, whose identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, was taken to the Placer County morgue where his body will undergo a forensic autopsy.

Pandhandling in Auburn

The Journal recently reported that the Auburn Police Department is planning to present a panhandling ordinance to the Auburn City Council later this month.

The ordinance would allow officers to cite panhandlers. Auburn Police Chief Valerie Harris said calls regarding panhandlers are a demand on the office’s service.

Josh Curly, who was interviewed while asking for money near the Auburn Town Center, said he would be happy to work if someone offered him a job.

“It’s tough right now in this economy when businesses are closing down,” Curly said in a prior Journal report. “It makes it even harder to find work.”

The Journal's Jenifer Gee can be reached at jeniferg@goldcountrymedia.com or post a comment.