Elderly Man Found Dead in Apartment Building with 'I Touch Little Girls' Written on Chest

A man was found dead in the New York City borough of Staten Island on Monday morning with the words "I touch little girls" spelled out on his chest.

Two additional messages were found on the man's body, according to local police. One reading "I take dolls in my room for girls age 1-5" was found written out on his stomach, police said. Authorities also found a shorter message on the deceased man's foot that read "I touch."

Authorities confirmed the contents of the messages and their locations on the man's body to Newsweek after The New York Post reported earlier Tuesday on the discovery of the deceased individual and the messages that the paper said were written in black ink on his body.

While local media outlets reported the deceased man was believed to be in his 70s or 80s, the New York Police Department (NYPD) did not confirm his estimated age with Newsweek but did identify the body as being that of an adult male.

The deceased man's name was being held until police could notify his family members, according to The New York Post. His name had not yet been publicly released as of Tuesday afternoon, a NYPD spokesperson told Newsweek.

Police told Newsweek that officers received a call about an unconscious individual shortly after 9:30 a.m. local time on Monday. Officers responded to an apartment building northeast of the Silver Lake Reservoir in Staten Island at 256 Corson Ave., an area overseen by the NYPD's 120th Precinct.

Once there, the officers located the unconscious individual, whom authorities told Newsweek was unresponsive at the time of their arrival.

The individual was not wearing a shirt at the time police arrived and was found lying in the hallway of the first floor of the apartment building on Corson Avenue, according to WPIX-TV.

The New York Post reported the man had two black eyes and injuries on his forehead at the time he was found. WPIX-TV also reported he had injuries on his face. Authorities told the station it was unknown if the man's injuries were the result of an altercation with another individual or if he incurred them during a fall.

No injuries were included in a report that Sergeant Edward Riley, a spokesperson for the NYPD Deputy Commissioner Public Information, shared with Newsweek about the deceased individual.

Medical personnel pronounced the man dead at the apartment building after officers and EMS officials assessed the situation, police told Newsweek.

The man's cause of death is expected to be assessed and identified by the New York City Medical Examiner, according to police. In the meantime, authorities said his death is under investigation.