Homeless man found outside Taco Bell later dies

A 22-year-old man had been living on the streets less than a month when he was found unresponsive outside a Lexington Taco Bell and later died, his wife said Friday.

Justin Denny Adams was found Thursday night near the Dumpster of the restaurant at 2275 Nicholasville Road, police spokeswoman Brenna Angel said.

Adams was taken to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, where he died at 7:48 p.m., according to the Fayette County coroner’s office.

The cause of death is pending toxicology results, according to the Fayette County coroner’s office.

Shannon Adams said her husband had been living with a friend in Winchester before he gathered his belongings and left for Lexington a couple of weeks ago.

The couple had a falling out and split up in August. Since then, Justin Adams had lived for a while with his mother before moving to Winchester, Shannon Adams said. He had moved back to Lexington to be closer to her, she said.

He was homeless. She said he would sometimes sleep at a McDonald’s on Nicholasville Road and Man o’ War Boulevard.

“I’ve told him about the Salvation Army or someplace to get warm,” said Adams who lives in Lexington.

The day before his death, Adams called his mother in Danville and asked her to come get him, Shannon Adams said.

“They couldn’t get the car out of the driveway because of the snow,” Adams said. His mother was worried when she didn’t hear from him Thursday.

The Adamses met through a mutual friend and dated for 3  1/2 months before the pair tied the knot in July 2014.

“When we started dating, we were together every single day,” she said.

Justin Adams would surprise his wife — not always good surprises, she added — and could always find a way to put a smile on her face.

The couple never stopped talking after they split up. She said he planned to start work at a Burger King in Lexington this week so he could get back on his feet.

The morning of his death, Shannon told her husband she just wanted to be with him again.

“I wanted to work things out,” she said.

This story was originally published February 12, 2016 at 8:09 AM with the headline "Homeless man found outside Taco Bell later dies."