The death of a 52-year-old South Carolina man is under investigation following the discovery of his body inside a kangaroo enclosure late Friday night.
Eric Slate was found unresponsive shortly before 11 p.m. at a private zoo, 5 Star Farm in Loris, according to the Horry County Coroner's Office. He had suffered "multiple blunt injuries," WMBF reported, though an official cause of death is undeclared, pending an autopsy.
Slate's younger brother, Robert Slate, who owns the zoo, said he was the one who found Eric's body in the enclosure, which is shared by a 4-year-old red kangaroo named Jack and several wallabies.
"If there was a trauma or if it was Jack, I feel like there would have been more signs," Robert said, noting that Eric's clothes were intact and that there was no indication of a violent animal attack.
Jack had only been at the property for two weeks but already formed a good relationship with the victim, according to a longtime farm employee, Spring Simmons. "He's pretty chill, laid back, especially for a male kangaroo," Simmons said. "He stands up and tries to show his dominance like kangaroos do. He tries to play."
Investigators have not yet determined whether the kangaroo played a role in Eric Slate's death.
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