Black, queer man found dead in Bernal in apparent suicide

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Content warning: This article contains references to suicide.

A man was found dead at Esmeralda Mini-Park early Tuesday morning, San Francisco police said Wednesday. 

The San Francisco medical examiner’s office and police sources confirmed that the man was Randy Dudley, 34. Two of Dudley’s housemates said that he was found hanging by a rope from a tree near the mini-park’s slides. They added he was a Black, queer man who had just recently moved back to the city. 

San Francisco police said officers responded at 7:07 a.m. to Esmeralda Avenue and Elsie Street about a deceased person. Paramedics declared the person dead on the scene, according to the department, which said there was “no evidence of foul play suspected at this time.” Police sources said there is a preliminary ruling of suicide.

Michael Rouppet, one of Dudley’s housemates, said he met with the jogger who came upon Dudley’s body early on April 30. 

“He said he went out for a run at 6:30, saw someone behind a tree — didn’t think too much about it,” Rouppet said. “And when he came back 30 minutes later, the person was still there. But then he realized the person was not alive.” 

Dudley had moved back to San Francisco from New York in December, according to Paul Aguilar, another of his housemates. He and Rouppet lived with Dudley and others at Marty’s Place, a co-op for HIV-positive men at 24th and Treat streets, nearly a mile away from where his body was found. 

The medical examiner’s office declined to confirm the cause or manner of death. While his housemates were given scant details, leading them to wonder about the cause of death, the medical examiner’s office was more thorough with his next of kin, his sister Chanell Dudley.

Chanell Dudley said the office had shared details about the manner of Dudley’s death, and that she was inclined to believe the preliminary ruling. She said she is still awaiting a full investigation from the medical examiner, however, and was hoping for “all the facts.”

Aguilar said he met Dudley at San Francisco State University when they were both students there, and that Dudley had moved around the country often: He received a scholarship to the New York Film Institute, then moved to Hollywood and worked as an intern on the show “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and then moved back to New York after receiving another scholarship at Parsons School of Design.

This month, Dudley would have turned 35. 

Dudley was set to start a new internship today at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Aguilar said, and had been looking forward to an upcoming wedding and friends visiting from out of town next week. 

“He was so excited about being a part of that,” Aguilar said. “I know this man … there was no indication of this.”

Jackie Fielder, a candidate for District 9 supervisor, said she, too, accompanied the housemates to canvass the neighborhood to find out more. She had just had dinner with Dudley two weeks ago, and described him as “kind and sweet.” 

“It seemed like Randy was trying to have a fresh start here in San Francisco,” Fielder said.

“I don’t know what to say,” added Rouppet. “I’m just at a loss.” 

Rouppet said that he, Aguilar and Dudley’s family have been trying to get the medical examiner’s attention on the case. Aguilar said they have contacted multiple political clubs in the city and politicians, including Hillary Ronen’s office, Sen. Scott Wiener’s office, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s office. All told Aguilar they are looking into the matter, he said.

In the meantime, the housemates also want to find out more about Dudley’s whereabouts on Monday night. 

“I thought maybe he went out last night. If he did, I’d start to go and ask people if they saw him to try to piece things together, because I don’t know how he ended up in the park, which is down the street,” Rouppet said.

“This is somebody who was fabulous,” he added. “You see him in a dress and he owns the world.”

Additional reporting by Joe Eskenazi.

This article has been updated with additional information from Randy Dudley’s sister and the Medical Examiner’s Office.

If you are in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.