A pathologist could not determine the cause of death during an
autopsy performed Wednesday on a body found in Aromas early this
week, while authorities have yet to identify the deceased person,
according to a sheriff’s office sergeant.
A pathologist could not determine the cause of death during an autopsy performed Wednesday on a body found in Aromas early this week, while authorities have yet to identify the deceased person, according to a sheriff’s office sergeant.
Sheriff’s authorities found the body Monday after a resident walking in the area reported finding it. The autopsy was finished Wednesday afternoon. Detective Sgt. Tony Lamonica of the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office, which acts as the county coroner, said he returned to the office from the autopsy shortly after 2 p.m.
Lamonica in an e-mail confirmed that the pathologist did not determine a cause of death and there was no identification on the victim.
“Due to the fact the body was so badly decomposed there were no distinguishing marks on the body,” Lamonica wrote, adding there are no other leads in the case.
Lamonica said it is “definitely not” the 16-year-old girl recently reported missing from Gilroy. The office is not calling it a homicide investigation because the “manner of death” is unknown. It is unclear how long the person had been there.
“The body has definitely been out there more than two weeks. We are sending samples of the scene to the lab to determine possibly how long the person has been deceased,” he said.
A resident reported finding the decomposed body in Aromas on Monday afternoon. The reporting resident told deputies he had been walking on Cannon Road collecting wood for a home project when he discovered the body off the side of the street, near Chateau Road. The resident showed investigators the location of the body, according to the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at (831) 636-4080.
