MORENO VALLEY: Officials identify man found dead near Quail Run Park

UPDATE: Feb. 10, With Coroner’s release of identification (See original story below.)

 

MORENO VALLEY – Officials from the Riverside County Coroner’s office have identified a person who was found deceased Sunday morning, Feb. 5. The man’s body was located down an embankment where homeless are known to camp.

Coroner’s officials identified the man as Daniel Chun, 29, of Riverside. Officials were not able to determined the exact time or date of Chun’s death; however he was pronounced dead by emergency first responders at 8:58 a.m., when deputies located his body in the ravine.

Based on an investigation by the sheriff’s department and an autopsy performed by the coroner’s office, officials believe Chun died sometime between Feb. 1 and Feb. 5, when his body was found.

Chun’s lifeless body was found near the southwest corner of Sycamore Canyon Boulevard and Central Avenue in an unincorporated area just east of the Riverside city limits and northwest of Moreno Valley. The area is near Quail Run Park and Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park.

A Riverside Superior Courts records search revealed Chun was arrested along with another man in July 2016, after the pair allegedly broke into St. Andrew’s Orthodox Church, in the 4700 block of Canyon Crest Drive in Riverside.

The church is less than two miles from where Chun’s body was later found.

Both men were charged with commercial burglary, after City of Riverside police officers responded to the church regarding a ringing burglary alarm.

Officers apprehended the two men inside the church with assistance from a police K9. The pair allegedly admitted to officers they had broken into the church with the intention of stealing items from the location to support their drug habits.

Chun’s charges were later dismissed under the Delayed Entry of Judgement Program (DEJ), after he agreed to undergo substance abuse counseling and drug awareness and education counseling. It was not immediately known if Chun completed the courses.

The investigation into Chun’s death is active and ongoing.

Anyone who has information about the investigation into Chun’s death is encouraged to contact Riverside County Sheriff’s officials at (951) 776-1099. Callers can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

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ORIGINAL STORY

MORENO VALLEY – Sheriff’s officials are conducting a death investigation after a dead body was found Sunday morning, Feb. 5.

The body of a man was found down an embankment near the southwest corner of Sycamore Canyon Boulevard and Central Avenue in an unincorporated area just east of the Riverside city limits and northwest of Moreno Valley. The area is near Quail Run Park and Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park.

The victim has not been identified, pending notification of the man’s family.

Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Moreno Valley Police station and other emergency first responders were dispatched to the location after a person called 911 to report finding the body about 8:45 a.m.

Deputies arrived within minutes and found the victim. They were able to immediately confirm that the man was deceased. Deputies cordoned off the area of the embankment where the body was discovered. Traffic was not blocked while officials conducted their investigation.

Investigators, members from the department’s Forensics Services Bureau, and coroner’s officials responded to the location to assist with the investigation, which is active and ongoing.

Sheriff’s officials have stated it is too early in the investigation to determine if the victim died of foul play. More information is expected to be released from the sheriff’s department by Monday.

Anyone with information about the investigation is encouraged to contact Riverside County Sheriff’s officials at (951) 776-1099. Callers can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

 

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.