Beloved ‘Mr. Charlie’ was pedestrian killed and now authorities know his true identity

When a bearded man was killed late Thursday on Tom Hill Senior Boulevard, everyone thought of Mr. Charlie.

His long whiskers reminded many people of Santa Claus as he roamed the streets, normally with a coffee cup in his hand.

Others smiled to him and spoke as he sat at the Burger King off Riverside Drive, or other locations.

“He was basically homeless, but he was harmless,” Bibb County Deputy Coroner Ronnie Miley said Saturday. “He was a very independent person and he had his own money. He never bothered anybody.”

Word of his death spread quickly among the north Macon eateries around Tom Hill Senior Boulevard late Thursday and early Friday.

But when authorities identified him, they had the wrong name.

When the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and the Coroner’s Office released the name as 68-year-old Charles Norman Campbell, Chief Deputy Coroner Lonnie Miley got a call from Campbell Friday afternoon.

“He called Lonnie yesterday and said, ‘I’m alive and well,’” Ronnie Miley said.

Once authorities said they had the wrong man, confusion spread as to whether it was Mr. Charlie or someone else who was killed.

Some were relieved thinking their friend was not in the left lane of the street when a Saturn ION swerved to avoid another vehicle that pulled out into the right lane.

Other worried Facebook commenters said they had not seen him all day at his usual locations, and heard from others at the scene of the accident that it was him.

Sadness prevailed as someone posted that there were flowers on his regular table at Burger King. He also was missed at Panera, Starbucks and his other haunts.

There was no ID on the body. Miley said deputies released Campbell’s name after searching driver’s license records.

“I don’t think Charlie was driving,” said Miley, who was unsure how deputies made the first identification.

When they later ran his fingerprint, the name of 54-year-old Charles Ray Brown came up.

They believe he is originally from Michigan, but know little else about his family.

The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said Brown’s last known address was in Lexington, Kentucky.

Anyone with information about Brown’s family is urged to call Bibb County Chief Coroner Leon Jones at 478-256-6716.

This story was originally published May 27, 2017 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Beloved ‘Mr. Charlie’ was pedestrian killed and now authorities know his true identity."