William Kelly, a descendant of last Maidu chief, dies in California

Wednesday, March 2, 2011  

William Kelly, a descendant of Maidu Chief Kelly, died in Nevada City, California, after complaining that police took his bedding gear. He was 51.

Kelly's frozen body was found under a bridge on Sunday night. It's not clear when he died, or how he died, The Grass Valley Union reported, but friends and others in the homeless community were concerned that he was sleeping without his gear in cold temperatures.

“To take his blankets away, you might as well have held a gun to his head and pulled the trigger,” a woman who didn't want to be named for fear of retaliation by police told the paper. Another homeless man died on a freezing cold night in January.

Kelly was a descendant of Chief Kelly, who is known as the last Maidu chief. Chief Kelly Road in Nevada City is named for the late chief.

Get the Story:
Second fatality raises concerns (The Grass Valley Union 3/2)