The Hollister Police department is trying to unravel the
circumstances surrounding the death of a Hollister man whose body
was found under the San Benito River Bridge Tuesday afternoon.
The body was identified as that of Eustevio Martinez, 44, of 90
Plumtree Drive, police said this morning.
The Hollister Police department is trying to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of a Hollister man whose body was found under the San Benito River Bridge Tuesday afternoon.
The body was identified as that of Eustevio Martinez, 44, of 90 Plumtree Drive, police said this morning.
Detectives from both the police department and the San Benito County Sheriff’s/Coroner’s Office worked quickly under the threat of darkening gray clouds to search for evidence related to Martinez’s death.
The initial stages of the investigation were hampered by the inability of police to identify the body because Martinez was not carrying any identification, police said.
“The unidentified remains of an Hispanic male was found by passersby in the woods. The cause of death is unknown at this point,” Hollister Police Detective George Ramirez said early Tuesday afternoon. “It’s under investigation, but there is no indication at this point that any foul play was involved.”
Investigators made a positive identification of the corpse later Tuesday when concerned family members contacted police.
Police said identification of the body helps the investigation because they can talk to Martinez’s family and friends to put together a timeline of events leading up to his death.
Martinez’s body was found next to what appears to have been a makeshift campsite near a path about 200 feet south of a pumping station on Bridge Road. The corpse was found by Daniel Alcazar, who does security work in the area.
“I was taking a walk along the path like I normally do when I noticed a foot sticking out of a pile of blankets. When I took a closer look, it turned out to be a body,” Alcazar said. “I went to touch him and he was ice-cold, and he had blood all over his shirt. He was drenched in blood.”
Alcazar said he tried to wake Martinez several times, but after receiving no response he faced the harsh reality that the man was dead.
“I said, ‘OK, this guy is definitely gone,’ and I phoned it in,” Alcazar said.
Investigators systematically measured and photographed the scene in detail for use in later recreation of the scene and other investigative uses.
Police said there are indications that Martinez had a long history of abusing inhalants, such as glue, paint, paint thinner and other solvents. However, police do not know if Martinez’s reported addiction was the cause of his death.
An autopsy to determine the exact cause of Martinez’s death is scheduled for Thursday, police said.
