The Hidden Life of the Park's Familiar Stranger
A homeless man known as Stephen, who spent years sitting on a park bench in Riverside Park, New York, was discovered dead and buried on Hart Island, a public burial ground for unclaimed and unidentified bodies. After his death, a local journalist connected Stephen to a missing person named Neil Harris Jr., and DNA tests confirmed their identity as the same person. Neil's mother, Susan Hurlburt, visited Hart Island and decided to leave Neil's body there, hoping he would be reunited with his father, who was also buried on the island. The story highlights the challenges faced by the homeless and the complexities of identifying and burying the unclaimed dead.