Family members are speaking out following the death of a man found outside a Houston restaurant in August.
Jessie Mobley Jr., 34, was discovered outside KFFO Afro Steakhouse on Aug. 8, according to ABC affiliate KTRK-TV and the Houston Chronicle.
Employees at the restaurant reportedly believed Mobley Jr. “was possibly a homeless person and carried him outside, along with his belongings” after he appeared to fall asleep at the table and “was unresponsive,” according to a news release from the Houston Police Department (HPD).
A police spokesperson told the Chronicle that the restaurant staff did not call 911. KTRK-TV reported that Mobley Jr. was not homeless and had been living with his aunt at the time of his death.
KFFO Afro Steakhouse did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The morning after he was placed outside, a student at a nearby beauty school reportedly found Mobley Jr. motionless and called 911 after noticing ants crawling on him, the Chronicle reported.
Paramedics with the Houston Fire Department (HFD) arrived at the scene and pronounced Mobley Jr. dead.
“At this time there is no belief Mobley was the victim of a crime,” the HPD stated in its Aug. 11 news release.
Mobley Jr. died just a week before his 35th birthday, according to the Chronicle. His stepmother, Renee, told KTRK-TV that he “used to love to watch me cook” and “loved to eat.”
“If he had two dollars, he’d take a dollar and give it to somebody else. He would always do that,” his father, Jessie Mobley Sr., said.
Mobley Jr.’s death follows the loss of two of his siblings. The Chronicle reported that his father endured 13 heart attacks, 10 stents, two strokes, and artery surgery after those deaths.
Family described Mobley Jr. as fun-loving, tech-savvy, and a lover of the water. Born with HIV, which he contracted from his mother who passed away when he was 5, he had longed for a wife and children but feared it would be “impossible” due to his diagnosis, the Chronicle reported.
Family members believe the restaurant workers should have called for help when they found him unresponsive at the table, which was near the doctor’s office where Mobley Jr. received treatment for both HIV and bipolar disorder. His backpack reportedly contained medications for these conditions.
“If they would’ve looked at this bag and seen medicine, wouldn’t they think, prescription medicines, wouldn’t they think? Well, maybe he has a problem? Call somebody?” Mobley Sr. told KTRK-TV.
Renee added to the Chronicle, “We just think if somebody had gotten him some help instead of putting him on the sidewalk — called 911 if nothing else – if you don’t know what is wrong with someone, you shouldn’t assume.”
Charlene Fogg-Drake, Mobley Jr.’s aunt, created a memorial at the strip center where he died, but it was soon removed, the Chronicle reported. She has continued to place new memorials at the site, including on what would have been his 35th birthday. “Everybody does it on the side of the road, why can’t I do it here?” she asked.
One sign read, “Jessie. You will be missed. You are loved. You are in heaven.”
