Forty-one-year-old Brandon Werner died Friday at a Phoenix hospital shortly after being visited by what hospital staff described as a "suspicious" man.
Phoenix police said a person of interest in the investigation has not been identified. They also said video would not be released by investigators.
Police said the man leaving the victim's room was wearing a white cap, blue jeans and a T-shirt with multiple colors.
“My phone dropped. And I picked it up and I’m like, 'What are you talking about?'” said Demetri Papamatheakis, Werner's longtime friend.
It was hard enough for Demetri Papamatheakis to believe that just hours after talking on the phone to his friend Brandon Werner, Werner had died.
“I just talked to him, like how would he abruptly die like that?” Papamatheakis said.
It only made matters worse when Papamatheakis learned Werner's hospital room was taped off and considered a possible crime scene.
“It almost sounds like something right out the Sopranos, I mean, it’s crazy," said Papamatheakis.
Werner had been at HonorHealth Deer Valley for about a week because of his Type 1 diabetes, something that wasn't uncommon for the 41-year-old.
According to police, officers responded to HonorHealth Deer Valley Medical Center near 27th Avenue and Deer Valley Road shortly after 3 p.m. Friday.
Hospital staff told officers a suspicious man came to the hospital and told staff he was there to visit Werner. The man left a short time later.
Nurses checked on Werner after the man left and found him foaming from the mouth and unresponsive, police said. Medical staff tried to save Werner, but he did not survive.
“It wasn’t like this was a car accident or a surgery that went wrong. I mean, this is like, we were all talking having a great time, then all of a sudden he’s gone," said Papamatheakis.
Papamatheakis says he has no idea who the suspicious man could be or why he was there.
“He always made everyone laugh—total comedian, you know, and everybody loved him," said Papamatheakis when describing his friend.
Now, Werner's friends and family are trying to process the mysterious and sudden death while desperately waiting for answers.
“I just want to know what happened. Why? Why would you do this?” said Papamatheakis.
Phoenix PD said the investigation is ongoing.
12 News has reached out to HonorHealth for comment following Friday's incident but the company declined to comment pending the police investigation.