State police seek information on transient man found dead near Mannitto Golf Course in Loyalhanna

State police are trying to figure out how a man, who they described as transient, ended up dead on state game lands near New Alexandria over the weekend.

“Still early on in our investigation … (we’re) really leaning into the public to hope that we get some help,” Trooper Steve Limani said Monday. “Right now, we don’t know why he was found where he was.”

But investigators believe the death of Robert Lee Friend, 64, is suspicious.

“There’s a high likelihood he was placed there,” Limani said.

Friend’s body was found on state game lands north of Route 22 near the 17th hole of Mannitto Golf Course in Loyalhanna Township. A hunter reported finding the body Saturday about 25 feet from a parking area off Bush Road. Troopers on Saturday released photographs of tattoos on the man’s arm and leg in an effort to identify him.

State Police Kiski Station is investing a crime where a person involved has the below pictured Tattoos. Anyone with information to help ID the individual please call Kiski Station 724-697-5780. pic.twitter.com/W9DTmD0eoT

— Troopers Steve Limani & Cliff Greenfield (@PSPTroopAPIO) October 25, 2025

They believe Friend died late Friday or early Saturday. He didn’t have any equipment to be hunting.

“There were things that led us to believe that somebody most likely inflicted some type of injury to him that caused this,” Limani said.

An autopsy was being conducted Monday. Limani said it was unlikely results would be released Monday.

“The only people that will know how it happened is the people that committed the crime and law enforcement,” he said.

Police are hoping for cooperation from the public to begin piecing together what happened to Friend and learn about his general habits. He typically found places to stay across the Greensburg area.

“We’re basically starting from scratch,” Limani said. “This is a whodunit, most likely, from the jump. This is a test of all tests for an investigator.”

Troopers are looking to talk to anyone who let Friend stay with them or might know his whereabouts Friday evening. A $2,000 reward for information is being offered.

“If you’re the person that was involved in this, you’re better off coming forward on your own than having us chase you down,” he said.

Police did not know where Friend was living. He has a criminal history dating to 1990, according to online court records. In recent cases, his address was listed as Emlenton and Youngwood. Those cases involved charges of hindering apprehension, harassment and drug offenses.

He was scheduled to plead guilty Nov. 12 in a terroristic threats case filed by Westmoreland County Park Police stemming from a September incident in Greensburg. He was in jail for a couple weeks on $10,000 bail in that case but was released Oct. 9 after the bail was switched to unsecured.

Twelve nontraffic citations were filed against him this year by Greensburg police in nine incidents — eight for public drunkenness, three for disorderly conduct and one defiant trespass, according to court records.

The game lands where Friend’s body was found surround Loyalhanna Lake, north of New Alexandria, and spread south toward Route 22, spanning several municipalities, including Salem and Derry townships. The Pennsylvania Game Commission leases some of the land from the Army Corps of Engineers.

Anyone with information is asked to call state police Kiski at 724-697-5780 or PSP Tips at 1-800-472-8477. Tips can be left online here.