CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A well-known Chesterfield County homeless man who lived in his pickup with his beloved border collie was found dead in the Chattanooga Plaza Wal-Mart parking lot early Thursday afternoon, after a passing shopper heard the dog barking with a seemingly unconscious man behind the wheel of a Ford pickup.
Wal-Mart greeter John Johnson, who had befriended the man known widely as Buck or Uncle Buck, went to investigate and saw that he his friend had passed away and called 911 at about 12:20 p.m. No foul play is suspected.
Leslie Floyd Rivers, also known as Buck or Uncle Buck.
Family members told CBS 6's Mark Holmberg that Buck was 68-year-old Leslie Floyd Rivers, who had suffered a series of heart and diabetes-related problems and had been living in his vehicle for about 10 years, largely by choice.
They said different social service groups had tried to help him, but he preferred his footloose lifestyle and refused to go to a home where he couldn’t have his longtime canine companion, Tara.
The dog was taken by Chesterfield animal control, but there have already been several people asking to take her.
Buck was known by many who frequented that Wal-Mart and other nearby businesses where he would park his truck.
