Country singer Tyler Rich believes he was led to discover a dead body while on a run

The Country star Tyler Rich was shocked to discover a dead man’s body during his four-mile run in a Massachusetts State Park on New Year’s Eve.

And now the 34-year-old singer says he believes he was led to the tragic discovery by the dead man’s spirit.

In a long text post shared to Instagram on Saturday he revealed that a conversation with the dead man’s mother led him to think their tragic meeting was fate.

‘Still reflecting on this constant feeling that I was in that random part of the park at the exact time I was supposed to be, to find that young man,’ he began. ‘There are many coincidences that make me truly believe he led me to where he was at.’ 

The musician revealed that he found the body around noon on New Year’s Eve.

‘About 30 minutes later, I looked down at my watch. My running app had paused once I stopped and found him, and it said my average pace at that time was 11:11,’ he continued. ‘I told the police and the couple that gave me their phone, to look at my watch, and that maybe that was a good omen.’

Afterward, Rich felt compelled to share the information with the dead person’s mother.

‘Yesterday, I spoke to his sweet mom, which was one of the toughest things I can remember. We talked about the timeline and series of events. She told the last text he sent was at 11:11 [sic]. And I found him just 45 minutes later,’ he explained.

As far as he was concerned, the discovery of the body was fate and not just a horrible tragedy. 

‘I truly believe his spirit led me down that random side of the mountain to find him,’ he wrote.

Rich described 11:11 as indicating that ‘angels are with you’ and that it’s a time to ‘wish for whatever you want. To feel at ease. That the universe is on your side.’

The number was also significant to him because of his song 11:11, which is ‘about loss.’

‘So anytime I see those numbers, it resonates with me,’ he continued.

The Difference singer suggested the dead man’s family were also comforted by his theories.

‘This specific series of little events is somehow bringing comfort to this family, and to myself,’ he concluded. 

The singer also thanked his fans for their ‘unbelievable outpour of support, and prayer’ in the post’s caption. 

‘Community is so important, remember to tell people how much you love them, and remember to talk to someone, anyone, when you are feeling lost and alone, cause you’re not,’ he wrote.

Rich previously opened up on Friday about his ‘rough 24 hours’ after unexpectedly discovering the body.

He applauded first responders and members of the armed forces for being able to ‘look death in the eye every day’ and ‘continue to live their everyday lives’ in the Instagram post.

Still shaken, he explained he was ‘fairly far off from where anyone else would be running’ in a heavily wooded area, before saying he thought he saw a ‘young homeless man’ sleeping.

‘He was on his stomach and had a bag tied around his foot and was faced down. (Assumed maybe this was so people didn’t steal his belongings while he slept,) he explained,’ the performer said. 

Rich continued: ‘After running around him, I felt bad for him, he was sleeping facedown and just looked like he was in a bad place. So I turned around and went back to check on him.’ 

Then, the singer said he realized the man was ‘not breathing’ and looked like he was shot or the victim of blunt force trauma. 

‘As I get to the front of him, all I see is a lifeless face covered in blood. Everywhere,’ he recalled. ‘At this moment, I freak out and spring up the steep hill to try and find anyone with a pone to call police (I only had my apple watch at the time.)

He, then, finds a couple about 30 yards away and used their phone to contact the authorities and ends up spending hours ‘doing statements with state troopers, FBI, local police and detectives. 

‘This young man looked maybe 18-25. Couldn’t tell, cause of all the blood, but his skin was still white. Didn’t look like it happened too long before I got there,’ he noted. 

He continued: ‘After some time, the officers found a gun in one of his hands under his body. Which means it potentially could have been a suicide…Not that there is any type of thing that could help me cope with finding him like this. But, for sure knowing he wasn’t there discarded by someone else, and that he was there where he wanted to be, will at least put me a little more at ease.’  

Rich went on to describe how the ordeal has weighed heavily on him.

‘I’m doing what I can to process this, the image, the reality. It’s been a rough 24 hours,’ he admitted. ‘Something I’ll never unsee or forget the couple minutes when it was just him and I down at the water as I figured out what the hell was going on and what I was going to do. Dead silent middle of a state park. Just running water and him and I. He looked like a young, normal kid. Someone with a family probably wondering where he was.’

At this time, the Chicopee Police Department and Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit are still investigating the man’s death and his identity remains unknown. 

James Leydon, a spokesman for Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, said ‘there was no threat to public safety related to this incident, which does not appear to be criminal in nature,’ according to MassLive. 

Rich, who was in Massachusetts with his wife Sabina Gadecki for the holidays, concluded his caption by writing, ‘Whoever you are and were, RIP friend.’