McKinney did not have a home. His body will be autopsied Wednesday, according to the Butler County Coroner’s Office.
McKinney’s sister, Olivia Hambidge, 31, posted a picture of him on Facebook and asked for his personal belongings to be returned to the family. A few hours later, the post had received more than 200 responses from those who knew McKinney, who frequented Trenton businesses.
“He was known and loved out there,” his sister said. “It’s great that he was part of a community that was understanding, loving and caring. It’s been a blessing to see that.”
She said her brother suffered from mental illness and was homeless.
Her brother always said he was “a free soul,” his sister said.
“He wanted to be one with the land,” she said.
Hambidge said her brother was known to drink and he sometimes passed out on the railroad tracks.
His death is at least the second on Butler County railroad tracks within the last two months.
In June, Andrew Smith, 33, of Middletown, was walking along the tracks at Waneta Street near Oenka Avenue in Middletown when he was killed, according to Lt. Malcolm Tipton.
There were 18 pedestrian fatalities on Ohio railroads last year, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
There were 35 trespass incidents in Ohio occurring along rail lines at locations other than grade crossings, resulting in 15 deaths and 20 injuries, according to the Department of Transportation.
There also were five incidents during which a pedestrian was struck at a highway-rail grade crossing in Ohio, resulting in three deaths and one injury.
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