Maintenance workers in Mission Valley opened a manhole cover to a storm drain and discovered a decomposed body inside, police said Friday.
San Diego Police Department officers responded to the scene in the 2300 block of Northside Drive at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, according to SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell.
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The body was positioned at the bottom of a small concrete area used for cleaning the storm drain, the lieutenant said.
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"Officers examined the body, which was badly decomposed, and consulted with the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office," Campbell said. "Based on the unusual location of the body, in an abundance of caution, the San Diego Police Homicide Unit was called to investigate."
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department responded and helped extract the body from the storm drain area, Campbell said.
The cause of death was unknown and will have to be determined by the Medical Examiner's Office. The body was believed to be a man, but no age, race or other identifying details could be determined until an identification is made, due to the state of the body, the lieutenant said.
Anyone with information about the found body was asked to call the SDPD Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
