Sheriff’s authorities Monday released the identity of a man whose body was found in rural Panoche Valley on Aug. 6. The man was Eleazar Roman Cruz, 29, from Oceanside, according to a sheriff’s office statement.
Sheriff’s authorities Aug. 6 found an adult male’s body off Panoche Road and suspect he was the victim of a shooting homicide.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to Panoche Valley at 1 p.m. Aug. 6 and found the body of a Hispanic male in his mid-20s, confirmed Capt. Eric Taylor with the sheriff’s office shortly after the body’s discovery. It appeared the man had been shot multiple times and was dropped about 10 feet off the road in the 6800 block of Panoche Road, an area surrounded by ranches and open spaces, according to a sheriff’s statement.
Authorities have said they believed the man had been shot with a firearm and left on the side of a road. There was evidence showing someone may have recently killed him elsewhere and left the body in the Panoche area, a rural part of southeastern San Benito County, Taylor has said.
There was no other information on the cause out of an autopsy or any other matters in the case. The sheriff’s office noted it is an ongoing investigation.
Anybody with information about the case is urged to call the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office at (831) 636-4080.
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