Salina Post

SALINA – A preliminary report indicates the man found dead on top of the ice in Mulberry Creek in northeast Salina died from exposure to the cold. The autopsy was conducted Monday.

Saline County Sheriff Glen Kochanowski said Robert Basye, 65, was not homeless at the time of his death. He had an apartment on East Crawford Street.

Kochanowski said Basye frequented the truck stops in the area where he was found.

His body was discovered about 100 yard east of a closed bridge in the 1900 block of North 5th by a man walking along the road with his daughter.

Basye was identified by a drivers license with a Wilson, Kansas address.

A family member in Kansas was notified of his death Friday.

Basye had been booked into the Saline County Jail on January 2, on a Salina Municipal Court warrant for contempt of court.

The death is being investigated as accidental.