TROY, Ala. — Republican gubernatorial candidate Michael McAllister was found dead Sunday at his home in Troy following a welfare check, according to our news partners at AL.com. McAllister was 69 at the time of his death.

“Nobody heard from him for a few days, so the deputies went down and had to force entry to the residence,” said Pike County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Buck Williams. “He had already been deceased [when deputies found him], and there was no any evidence of foul play. He had a bunch of health problems.”

The chief deputy said he did not know what the specific health problems were and the sheriff’s office said McAllister was a former corrections officer AL.com reported.

McAllister entered the Republican primary for governor but AL.com said he did not respond to repeated phone calls for an interview or to repeated invitations to participate in a candidate debate hosted by the publication.