MENIFEE: Man’s body found in bushes

MENIFEE – Sheriff’s officials have confirmed the discovery of a man’s body that was found in some bushes along a Menifee road. The body was located adjacent to La Piedra Road, east of School Park Drive. The location is west of Sherman Road and southeast of Chester W. Morrison Elementary School and Lyle Marsh Park.

The victim, who has not yet been identified pending identification and notification of his family, appeared to have been dead for some time, according to officials. Witnesses at the scene reported seeing a bike near the man’s body.

Deputies were dispatched to the location at 7:04 a.m., after a citizen called 911 to report the discovery.

After deputies arrived and they confirmed the discovery, investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Menifee Police Station responded to the location to conduct a death investigation.

“At this time, the investigation is being handled as an unattended death and is not being investigated as a homicide,” Riverside County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Mike Vasquez said in a telephone interview.

Coroner’s officials arrived at the location to assist in the investigation and to to remove the victim’s body.

By 1 p.m. the victim’s body had been recovered and the scene had been cleared by sheriff and coroner officials.

No immediate connection has been made yet between the found body and a 44-year-old Menifee resident who has been missing since Thursday, Oct. 27 and Vasquez stated it would be some time before the man was officially identified. However, many have taken to social media speculating that the body could be that of Paul Snyder, who was reported missing from his Menifee residence last month. Snyder was last seen in front of his residence near Evan’s Ranch Elementary School, less than one mile from where the body was found this morning.

The investigation is active and ongoing.

Anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to contact investigators from the Menifee Police Station at (951) 210-1000. Callers can remain anonymous.

 

This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as they become 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.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, Personnel and Background Investigations and he finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator.

Trevor has been married for more than 26 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 12 – soon to be 13 – grandchildren.