By Bruce Karnick

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Walmart stores across the country allow truckers and campers to park overnight in their lots for free when allowed by local ordinance. It is even noted on their corporate website.

“While we do not offer electrical service or accommodations typically necessary for RV customers, Walmart values RV travelers and considers them among our best customers. Consequently, we do permit RV parking on our store parking lots as we are able. Permission to park is extended by individual store managers, based on availability of parking space and local laws. Please contact management in each store to ensure accommodations before parking your RV.”

Other websites even help travelers plan routes that include utilizing Walmart lots as a way to save money while travelling, so seeing an RV parked in a Walmart lot is not unusual. What seems unusual is when there are a few large vehicles parked for several months in the same spot.

In Hastings, there had been an RV and a retired school bus parked in the corner of the lot since September or October of 2020, according to witnesses. Here is the official statement from the Hastings Police Department related to the RV.

On March 18th, at approximately 9:00 a.m., the Hastings Police Department responded to a report of a wanted person that may be living in an RV in the Walmart parking lot located in the 1700 block of North Frontage Road. Walmart corporation allows vehicles to park in their lots for extended periods of time as a matter of corporate policy. Arriving Officers observed a still human silhouette in the RV then attempted to make contact by knocking on doors and windows. Officers determined there was no response then entered finding a deceased male. No foul play is suspected. Hastings Police and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner are investigating.

Police Chief Bryan Schafer was not able to offer much regarding additional information from the official statement at the time. He did explain the medical examiner would release the name and cause of death, but there was no timeline for that information. He also explained that it was the decision of the Police to not only remove the RV from the property, but also the retired bus because both had been there for an extended period of time.

After finding the deceased in the motorhome next to the former school bus, Hastings PD removed the bus as it appeared to be abandoned. The bus had also been in the lot for an extended period of time. Photo by Bruce Karnick

Early morning on March 18th, Hastings Police removed a deceased human from a motorhome that had been parked in the Walmart parking lot in Hastings over the winter. Eyewitnesses stated they believed the vehicle had been parked there since at least September of 2020. Photo Courtesy of Michael Rose.