The body of a man who had been shot in the right leg was found
in a rural area of southern San Benito County on Friday evening
after a call alerted authorities, according to a press release from
the sheriff’s office. The body of a white male adult was found in
a
”
hilly, rural area
”
in southern San Benito County at about 5 p.m. Friday on the side
a private road in the vicinity of the 20000 block of Coalinga
Road.
HOLLISTER
The body of a man who had been shot in the right leg was found in a rural area of southern San Benito County on Friday evening after a call alerted authorities, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.
The body of a white male adult was found in a “hilly, rural area” in southern San Benito County at about 5 p.m. Friday on the side a private road in the vicinity of the 20000 block of Coalinga Road, said Undersheriff Pat Turturici.
The cause of death at this time is still under investigation, but the victim appeared to have a compound fracture to his right femur and he had lost a large amount of blood when authorities arrived.
The decedent had a large surgical scar on the back of his right triceps and was missing part of his middle finger on his right hand, Turturici said. But neither the missing finger nor the triceps scar have anything to do with the death, as they were previous injuries, according to the office.
The sheriff’s office is unsure if the gunshot wound was self-inflicted, but there was no gun found on the victim while there was no indication of foul play.
The body was transported to the county morgue for an autopsy exam scheduled for Monday, from which the results are unclear at this point. As of right now, the case is being called a “suspicious death,” and the coroner is still reviewing the cause.
After the autopsy, it was discovered the man had been shot in the upper-right leg. The wound, which went through the man’s right femur, was consistent with a small caliber bullet such as a .22 caliber, according to the sheriff’s office.
The decedent was described as a white, male adult with long brown hair and a goatee. He was approximately five foot, 11 inches tall and weighed approximately 170 pounds. Turturici estimated the man’s age somewhere between 30 to 40 years old. The decedent was found wearing jeans, a white T-shirt and boots.
The man had no identification on him, and authorities checked through statewide missing persons reports with no results. A fingerprint check and DNA testing will be conducted to determine the man’s identity, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities also sent out a statewide flyer to other law enforcement agencies in a attempt to identify the decedent.
Undersheriff Pat Turturici said detectives and search and rescue both are currently combing the scene for evidence and other potential members of his party.
If you have any information relating to a missing person matching the victim’s description, contact the San Benito County Detective division unit at (831) 636-4080.
