Ted Orama

Two custodians were found dead Wednesday morning at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts, shaking up members of the school community and its downtown West Palm Beach neighborhood.

Police by late evening would not say how Ted Orama, 56, of Greenacres and Christopher Marshall, 48, of West Palm Beach, died. Police did not call the deaths a homicide, instead referring to them as a "death investigation."

West Palm Beach Police spokesman Cpt. David Bernhardt said that there is no concern for the public.

OSHA, the agency that investigates work-related cases, had not been called to the scene.

No students were scheduled to be at the school on Wednesday, as summer classes are not currently in session. The school held an arts camp last week that ended Friday.

In addition to West Palm Beach police, the county medical examiner and the county state attorney's office were at the school, located at 501 S. Sapodilla Ave., near CityPlace.

West Palm Beach Police will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. Thursday, when they expect to release additional details.

"It's a tragedy no matter where it happens, but it's compounded, of course, by recent events," said Bernhardt, referring to recent school shootings across the country.

Bernhardt said the bodies were found in Building 8, a maintenance area, by another custodian. He said custodians usually come in around 6 or 6:30 a.m. Police were called around 6:30 a.m.

Orama was hired at the school district in March 1993, according to a database of school employees.

Marshall was hired by the school district in August 2005, according to school records.

The SEIU-Florida Public Services Union issued a statement, saying: "Mr. Ted Orama and Christopher Marshall were outstanding members of our union. This is a great loss for their families, School District of Palm Beach County and our union. Although no words can really help to ease the loss, we want the families to know that they are very close in every thoughts and prayers of all union members."

Union spokeswoman Afifa Khaliq said union workers close to the men described them as "good" members.

Orama worked with custodians all over the district and informed them of their rights as a union member and worked to make sure all the facilities were "safe and secure," Khaliq said.

A Palm Beach County School District spokesman released a statement, saying they are "deeply saddened" by the incident.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to workers, family, friends, and community members that have been impacted. We will continue to support the efforts underway by the West Palm Beach Police Department as they continue to actively investigate this tragedy."

The spokesman, Jason Shockley, said earlier in the day that he does not believe the deaths were "student-involved or student-related."

Dreyfoos Principal Susan Atherley did not want to comment for the story Wednesday night.

Throughout the day, police SWAT teams searched the school's buildings to make sure there was no active shooter and no other potential victims while crime scene investigators gathered evidence. West Palm Beach Fire Rescue workers later used a truck to investigate the roofs of nearby buildings as a precaution.

While the FBI was on the scene at one point, they left when it was determined there was no live threat.

Jillian Graham, a 2011 Dreyfoos alumna, said she always felt safe on campus because of heightened security during her four years at the school. But Wednesday's incident came as a shock.

"Dreyfoos was a tight-knit community," said Graham, 20, now an advertising and public relations junior at the University of Central Florida. "Nothing bad has ever happened … It's bizarre."

Maryann Roman, who works as an office manager at Mental Health Association near the school, said she's seen traffic congestion and minor vandalism in the area over the last four years but nothing like Wednesday.

"There's been no incidents," she said. "[The investigation] is very unusual."