ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP — Terry Sparks was last seen alive Monday night when he was walking along State Route 93. A family member stopped the car to ask if Sparks wanted a ride.

“He told them, ‘nope, he was fine,’” Lawrence County Sheriff’s Detective Aaron Bollinger said.

Thursday morning, Sparks was found dead in a porta-potty at the former Rock Hill Middle School walking track adjacent to the Lawrence County Juvenile Center. An employee of Johnny On The Spot discovered Sparks when he arrived to service the portable toilet.

Authorities are not sure how long Sparks had been in the toilet.

Although the cause of death hasn’t been officially determined, foul play is not suspected and the week was bitterly cold with daytime temperatures only in the 20s and nighttime temperatures near zero.

Although Sparks had family living in the area, he was essentially homeless, Bollinger said.

“He had been staying for a couple of months at his father’s house on State Route 93 but he was a guy that stayed on the move. He did not actually have a home of his own. He walked here and there and stayed where he could,” Bollinger said.

Two weeks ago, deputies were called to the men’s room at Ellisonville Park on State Route 93 and Smokey Row Road in regards to a man sleeping or sitting in the men’s room. It was Sparks.

The deputy took him to the City Welfare Mission.