Timaru police hope to shed more light on the circumstances surrounding the death of a man in the town, once a scene examination is completed. They have yet to confirm the man's identity.
Inspector Dave Gaskin says the man, who is believed to be in his 20's, was found by a member of the public in the middle of York Street, in the suburb of Seaview, just before 4 am.
He says this person phoned the ambulance from a pay phone but did not leave a name.
Attempts by St John Ambulance paramedics to revive the man at the scene were unsuccessful.
A forensic pathologist and ESR staff from Christchurch conducted a scene examination on Friday.
Officers want to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time, especially the person who called an ambulance.