Man’s lifeless body pulled from Lake Elsinore

LAKE ELSINORE — Authorities are investigating after a kayaker found a man’s lifeless body floating in Lake Elsinore yesterday afternoon, Friday, Jan. 25. The victim’s body was eventually pulled from the lake’s murky waters and an autopsy has been scheduled. Sheriff’s officials have since said no foul play was suspected, but admitted they had not yet determined the cause of the man’s death.

Yesterday’s body recovery was one of two major Lake Elsinore incidents Friday, including an hours-long standoff at Machado Pines Estates that ended when sheriff’s SWAT members stormed a home searching for a wanted man and found it empty.

LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:

SWAT, flash-Bangs, robots & K-9 at Elsinore stand-off, but no suspect

Horse running loose in Mira Loma hit by car, euthanized

Moreno Valley man, 27, killed in 2-car wreck

Deputies assigned to Lake Elsinore Police Department were summoned to the lake around 12:15 p.m., after receiving a report of a possible dead body in the lake, Riverside Sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Jimenez later explained. The 911 caller, a kayaker enjoying a day on the lake, said he spotted what appeared to be a body floating face down in the shallow water along the southern shoreline, near the lake’s Seaport Launch area. 

When deputies arrived, they coordinated with California Department of Forestry, who used a boat to locate and recover the body. Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner officials later took custody of the victim’s body.

A man interviewed at the scene who identified himself as Brett, told Nathan Wilking of RVC News he knew the deceased victim and believed the man was homeless and lived in the area. Brett said he and others had seen the victim alive earlier that day.

Officials have not yet identified the victim, and were not able to provide any further details about the man, his ethnicity, or possible age; pending further investigation.

Once the man’s identity has been established and his family notified, coroner’s officials will release the victim’s name and other information, according to officials.

“There does not appear to be foul play,” said Jimenez, who explained a post-mortem has been scheduled to determine the victim’s cause of death.

Lake Elsinore PD’s investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Investigator Carranza of the Lake Elsinore Police Department at (951) 245-3300. Callers can refer to incident file number L190250054 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor 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, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with 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, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.