A wrapped body was found Thursday on the side of a road in the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve in an unincorporated area of Escondido, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said.
Construction workers on their way to a project spotted a body wrapped in "some sort of material we don't know yet" alongside the road near Harmony Grove Road and Questhaven Road and reported it to the SDSO at about 7 a.m., Lt. Chris Steffen said.
The body has been identified as belonging to 27-year-old Martin Armenta, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office.
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Homicide detectives were called to the scene and blocked off a portion of Harmony Grove Road for the investigation, Steffen said. The body showed "obvious signs of death," but there were no signs of trauma, the Medical Examiner's Office said Friday. The investigation into the cause and manner of his death are still underway.
Family members of Armenta were notified of his death Friday.
Footage from SkyRanger 7 showed a remote road alongside a hillside blocked off with police tape near what appeared to be a trail. The body was covered by a yellow tarp on the shoulder of the roadway.
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Anyone with information on the incident was asked to call the Sheriff's Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330. After hours callers can call the Sheriff's non-emergency line at (858) 565-5200. Those wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
This is a developing story. Details may change as information is released.
