Sheriff’s authorities Thursday afternoon found an adult male’s body off Panoche Road and suspect he was the victim of a shooting homicide, a department spokesman confirmed.
The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a body found Thursday while leaving the scene of a late-morning, fatal airplane crash on Frazier Lake Road.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to Panoche Valley at 1 p.m. Thursday and found the body of a Hispanic male in his mid-20s, confirmed Capt. Eric Taylor with the sheriff’s office. 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.
Taylor said the sheriff’s office suspects the man, whose identity was unclear Thursday evening, 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 said.
The sheriff’s office plans to have an autopsy conducted in the coming days.
According to a full statement released shortly before 6:30 p.m. Thursday:
On Aug. 6, at 1300 hours, San Benito County Deputies were dispatched to a body found on the side of the road in the 6800 block of Panoche Rd. When they arrived (along with CHP, CalFire, and Hollister Fire), they located a deceased Hispanic male who was approximately 25 years-old. The decedent had originally been located by a passing utility worker.
At the time of this release, we do not have any suspect information. We also have not identified the decedent. An autopsy will be conducted in the coming days. It would appear the decedent was shot more than once. It also appears he was not killed where he was found.
The area where the male was located is in rural, southern San Benito County. Panoche Rd is a winding, two-lane country road bound by ranches and open space. The male was left in a conspicuous location, about 10 feet off of the road in a turnout.Â
Anybody with information as to the identity of this male, or information about the homicide, is urged to call San Benito County Sheriff’s Detectives at (831) 636-4080.
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