Police said they are investigating a homicide after a body was found in the stable area of Churchill Downs the morning after the Kentucky Derby.
The man was discovered by a Churchill Downs security guard, reports CBS Affiliate WLKY.
“Homicide detectives later got to the scene and were able to determine that there is foul play involved; however we still do not have an exact cause of death,” said police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley.
Police said the man was injured during an altercation and those injuries led to his death. Investigators did not release the man’s identity, but said he was a Hispanic male.
“At this point we have very little information on the victim himself,” said Smiley. “We do not have an age, nor are we aware of whether or not he’s a local resident.”
WLKY correspondent Gary Parker spoke with several stable workers, who primarily speak Spanish. They said all Churchill Downs stable workers know each other, but they said they didn’t know who was killed.
Some also said they didn’t want to get mixed up in problems, or feared losing their jobs.
Smiley said the body was found inside a barn on the backside of the track, just four barns away from where I’ll Have Another was kept.
But police said there is no connection to yesterday’s Kentucky Derby winner.
Louisville Metro Police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley also said Sunday the death didn’t appear to have any association with Churchill Downs, the historic Louisville track that on Saturday saw a record attendance of more than 165,000 for the 138th running of the Derby.
