MORENO VALLEY: Investigation continues after body found near schools and churches

MORENO VALLEY – Deputies and investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Moreno Valley Police Station are conducting a suspicious death investigation after the body of a man was discovered in the road near two schools and two churches early Friday morning, Sept. 23.

The victim – who has not been identified – was found at the intersection of New Light Way and Iris Avenue between Rainbow Ridge Elementary School and the New Light Missionary Baptist Church. A second church, Imani Praise Fellowship, sits just to the west of the Baptist church and March Middle School is located on the north side of the elementary school.

A man’s lifeless body was found in close proximity two Moreno Valley schools and two churches. He has not yet been identified.

A passerby called 911 to report finding the man’s body to Riverside County emergency dispatchers at about 2:45 a.m.

Deputies arrived and found the man’s lifeless body. He was pronounced dead at the scene. He did not appear to have been struck by a vehicle and his cause of death remains unknown. His age and identity have not been determined pending further investigation by the sheriff’s department and Riverside County coroner’s officials.

The intersection where the man’s body was found was closed Friday morning, leaving parents dropping off children at the elementary school needing to find alternate routes for delivering students to their school.

Many parents with children who attend the two schools expressed concern as rumors swirled at the discovery of the body. Countless parents took to social media with fearful questions that have yet to be answered pending further investigation.

No further information was available.

This is a developing story. More information will be added as it becomes available.

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.